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 H Preview

GROUP H

SPAIN

FIFA World Ranking: 2

Team Colours: Red shirts with yellow trim, blue shorts with yellow trim, red socks. Away kit is dark blue shirts with red and yellow trim, dark blue shorts with red and yellow trim, dark blue socks.

Manager: Vicente del Bosque came out of semi-retirement, having not coached since leaving Besiktas in 2005, to take charge of Spain following their Euro 2008 triumph and has carried on in much the same way that his predecessor, Luis Aragones, left off, relying on one-touch passing through midfield, and has had plenty of success. Del Bosque is best known for his four year stint at the helm of Real Madrid between 1999 and 2003, during which he won the Intercontinental Cup and twice won La Liga and the Champions League.

Form: Scary. Spain have won all but one game under del Bosque (the one loss being to the USA in the Confederations Cup semi last summer), including a 100% record in a qualifying group which included tricky sides like Turkey and Bosnia & Herzegovina. In the last few months they have comfortably beaten Argentina and France in friendlies, and more recently they’ve swept their warmup matches, beating Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and most impressively, Poland by six goals to no reply. At the moment Spain are something of a machine.

Captain: Goalkeeper Iker Casillas is right up there with Buffon and Julio Cesar squabbling over who gets to be called the best keeper in the world, and the 29-year-old, who has made nearly 400 appearances for Real Madrid, is an inspirational figure between the sticks, regularly pulling off saves that he has no right to make. Will forever be idolised in Spain for being the captain that broke their 44-year duck to lead La Seleccion to triumph at Euro 2008.

Key Man: It seems frankly rude to pick just one out of the Spanish line-up, but even in such mighty company, David Villa strikes out. The Barcelona-bound striker is simply the most impressive forward in the world game right now, terrorising defences all over the world with his searing pace, clinical finishing and, for Spain, his perfect understanding with Fernando Torres, who, you may have heard, is also a bit talented. He can drop deep to aid in the build-up play from around the midfield or drift wide only to cut back inside to devastating effect.

Man to Watch: The only reason why Sevilla winger Jesus Navas only has six caps to his name is a serious anxiety problem that forced him to retire from international football before making a single appearance soon after he emerged in the Spanish game, but last year he resolved to overcome his condition and force his way into the squad for South Africa. Spanish fans will be delighted – Navas has enjoyed his best season yet for the Andalucian side, maturing into a more effective, destructive player than ever before. His pace with and without the ball really has to be seen to be believed. Expect to see Navas come off the bench to run at tired left-backs down the right flank and cause havoc in the opposition box.

Prediction: There are a couple of injury worries over two-parts-of-the-same-player midfield passing robots Xavi and Andres Iniesta but they should be fit to play, but the Spanish need not worry all that much anyway – they have by far the deepest squad in the tournament, particularly in midfield, where world-class talents Cesc Fabregas, Juan Manuel Mata, Jesus Navas and Sergio Busquets will probably all be on the bench. The only barrier to Spain bulldozing their way to what could be the most beautiful World Cup win ever is the mental hurdle of the World Cup – obviously they got the monkey off their back by winning the Euros, but the biggest tournament of all is another kettle of fish,if you pardon my mixing of zoological metaphors. That said, I can’t look past Spain to win this year. Their probable final clash with Brazil should be a belter, as well.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Iker Casillas, captain (Real Madrid)

12. Victor Valdes (Barcelona)

23. Pepe Reina (Liverpool)

Defenders

2. Raul Albiol (Real Madrid)

3. Gerard Pique (Barcelona)

4. Carlos Marchena (Valencia)

5. Carles Puyol (Barcelona)

11. Joan Capdevila (Villarreal)

15. Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)

17. Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid)

Midfielders

6. Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)

8. Xavi (Barcelona)

10. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

13. Juan Manuel Mata (Valencia)

14. Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid)

16. Sergio Busquets (Barcelona)

20. Javi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao)

21. David Silva (Valencia)

22. Jesus Navas (Sevilla)

Forwards

7. David Villa (Barcelona)

9. Fernando Torres (Liverpool)

18. Pedro Rodriguez (Barcelona)

19. Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao)

SWITZERLAND

FIFA World Ranking: 24

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

Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld’s CV commands respect – one of only three men to win the Champions League with two different clubs (Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich), he’s won the Bundesliga seven times and the Intercontinental Cup twice. He’s more than familiar with Swiss football having played there for nine years and managed three Swiss clubs before going on to achieve so much in Germany, where he was named the greatest Bundesliga coach of all time as well as Bayern Munich’s best ever coach. Not bad.

Form: Switzerland started qualifying very slowly – a 1-1 draw with Israel was followed by an embarrassing loss to Luxembourg – but picked themselves up to finish top of their group ahead of Greece, including a five-game winning streak. Their warmup games haven’t been much good, though – they lost against Uruguay and a distinctly average Costa Rica side, but picked up enough to draw 1-1 with Italy on Saturday.

Captain: FC Basel striker Alexander Frei is his country’s all-time leading goalscorer and certainly one of the most capable players in the Swiss squad. He scores hatfuls of goals wherever he goes – including 48 in 100 games for Rennes, 31 in 69 for Borussia Dortmund and now 15 in 19 for his hometown club which he returned to last summer. With 40 in 73 internationals, Frei is very much the focal point of the Swiss attack and will want to make up for Euro 2008, where he was taken off injured during the first match and never featured again in the tournament.

Key Man: Udinese defensive midfielder Gokhan Inler has long been linked with a move a big Premier League club, and if Switzerland do well you can be sure those rumours will resurface. Sitting in the centre of the Swiss engine room, Inler’s tough, dominating approach governs his team’s play, and if he can be shut out of the game, opponents will find a much less cohesive unit in their way.

Man to Watch: Known amusingly as “Forrest Gump” for the way he’s constantly running, Lazio right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner should be an energetic presence for Switzerland. After ignoring interesting from Paris Saint-Germain and Everton following his performances at Euro 2008, Lichtsteiner has formed a potent partnership with Serbian man to watch Aleksandar Kolarov at Lazio and can be deployed further forward at right midfield if required.

Prediction: Switzerland are plenty willing but, Frei aside, lack attacking potency. If anything happens to their captain I can’t see where the goals are going to come from and they should be too rigid to trouble the likes of Spain and Chile in this group. An early exit for Hitzfeld’s boys beckons.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg)

12. Marco Wolfli (Young Boys)

21. Johnny Leoni (FC Zurich)

Midfielders

2. Stephan Lichtsteiner (Lazio)

3. Ludovic Magnin (FC Zurich)

4. Philippe Senderos (Fulham)

5. Steve von Bergen (Hertha Berlin)

13. Stephane Grichting (Auxerre)

17. Reto Ziegler (Sampdoria)

22. Mario Eggimann (Hannover 96)

Midfielders

6. Benjamin Huggel (FC Basel)

7. Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen)

8. Gokhan Inler (Udinese)

11. Valon Behrami (West Ham United)

14. Marco Padalino (Sampdoria)

15. Hakan Yakin (Luzern)

16. Gelson Fernandes (Saint Etienne)

20. Pirmin Schwegler (Eintracht Frankfurt)

23. Xherdan Shaqiri (FC Basel)

Forwards

9. Alexander Frei, captain (FC Basel)

10. Blaise Nkufo (Seattle Sounders)

18. Albert Bunjaku (Nurnberg)

19. Eren Derdiyok (Bayer Leverkusen)

HONDURAS

FIFA World Ranking: 38

Team Colours: White shirts with blue trim and a short horizontal stripe across the chest in various shades of  blue, white shorts, white socks. Away kit is blue shirts with both lighter and darker blue trim and the same stripe, blue shorts, blue socks.

Manager: Colombian Reinaldo Rueda’s first management job saw him lead the Colombian Under-20s to third place in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, and soon after he was promoted to the main job for qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, where he picked up a team in disarray and steered them to a mid-table finish in South America. Since taking the reins at Honduras in early 2007 he has won great popularity by returning Honduras to the tournament they last participated in in 1982.

Form: Honduras surprisingly came top of their third round qualifying group ahead of Mexico, as well as Jamaica and Canada, before edging out Costa Rica on goal difference to reach South Africa automatically, and condemning Costa Rica to a playoff with Uruguay that they went on to lose. They never really set the world alight, though, and would have missed out on the trip to South Africa if the USA had not come from behind to snatch a draw with the Costa Ricans. Their warmups could have gone a lot better – losses to Venezuela and Romania and draws with Belarus and Azerbaijan aren’t good enough to signal that this team will be competitive this summer.

Captain: Attacking midfielder Amado Guevara is Honduras’ most capped player of all time, having won 135 caps over 16 years in the international side. He spent a few years in the MLS with the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC but now plies his trade in the Honduran league with Motagua. The crowning moment of his career so far was being named MVP in the Copa America in 2001, a tournament which Honduras only entered a day before it started when Argentina pulled out, and he led them to a shock semifinal finish that year – I doubt he’s dreaming that far ahead in South Africa though.

Key Man: Look no further than evergreen striker Carlos Pavon, according to a poll, the most popular footballer in the world. The 36-year-old journeyman, who’s played for 14 different teams, some of them two or three times, has nabbed 57 goals in exactly 100 international games and remains Honduras’ main man up front. Currently still banging them in for Real Espana in Honduras, his first club whom he has played for in five separate spells, Pavon will be keen to take this last chance on the world stage.

Man to Watch: Keep an eye out for Pavon’s understudy, the magnificently named Georgie Welcome, another Motagua player who scored an incredible goal for Honduras in a friendly against Latvia in November.

Prediction: Despite a couple of very good players – Tottenham’s Wilson Palacios is another, more well-known face who can cause problems for any team – Honduras look pretty limited and results recently have been far from encouraging. A lack of high-level know-how throughout the team will be a stumbling block when it comes to overcoming canny sides like Switzerland and Chile, and though they have the potential to manage it, it would be an upset if Honduras won a game here.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Ricardo Canales (Motagua)

18. Noel Valladares (Olimpia)

22. Donis Escober (Olimpia)

Defenders

2. Osman Chavez (Platense)

3. Maynor Figueroa (Wigan)

4. Johnny Palacios (Olimpia)

5. Victor Bernardez (Anderlecht)

14. Oscar Boniek Garcia (Olimpia)

16. Mauricio Sabillon (Hangzhou Nabel Greentown)

21. Emilio Izaguirre (Motagua)

23. Sergio Mendoza (Motagua)

Midfielders

6. Hendry Thomas (Wigan)

7. Ramon Nunez (Olimpia)

8. Wilson Palacios (Tottenham)

10. Julio Cesar de Leon (Torino)

13. Roger Espinosa (Kansas City Wizards)

17. Edgar Alvarez (Bari)

19. Danilo Turcios (Olimpia)

20. Amada Guevara, captain (Motagua)

Forwards

9. Carlos Pavon (Real Espana)

11. David Suazo (Inter)

12. Georgie Welcome (Motagua)

15. Walter Martinez (Marathon)

CHILE

FIFA World Ranking: 18

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

Manager: Marcelo Bielsa’s last appearance at the World Cup, as coach of Argentina in 2002, did not go so well, with his native side being knocked out of the Group of Death, but he was surprisingly allowed to continue until he resigned in 2004. He didn’t take another job until Chile came calling in 2007 and has been busy turning them into a seriously good side since then. Fans are currently campaigning for him to renew his contract, which ends after the World Cup, so he must be doing something right.

Form: The youngest South American side at the finals romped to second in the South American qualifying group, clinching their plane tickets with a game to spare thanks to an entertaining 4-2 defeat of Colombia. They scored more than half of their points away from home and were the second highest scorers in the group, playing a strange 3-3-1-3 formation and winning with style and resolve. A 1-0 loss to Mexico aside, their friendlies have gone well, with wins over Trinidad & Tobago, Zambia, Northern Ireland and Israel, the latter two being played on the same day by two separate Chilean XIs, as Bielsa tested out every one of his 23-man squad plus a few extra players to make up the numbers. There’s strength in depth in this side.

Captain: Claudio Bravo, who plays in goal for Spanish second divison side Real Sociedad, has recently returned from an injury that ended his league season in February, shortly after he scored his first career goal with a free kick. He has captained the side ever since legendary striker Marcelo Salas retired from internationals in 2007. Chile will be hoping he has no lingering fitness worries as they don’t really have an adequate backup in his position.

Key Man: Definitely Monterrey striker Humberto Suazo, a brilliant forward man who topped the South American goal charts in qualifying with ten goals, and has spent the past few months on loan at Real Zaragoza. A prolific scorer in the Chilean leagues with a strike rate in the region of two in three, it’s a wonder the 29-year-old hasn’t been snapped up by a European side yet, but he may well get his chance with a good showing in South Africa.

Man to Watch: Sitting in behind Suazo and the strikers will be Sporting CP’s Matias Fernandez. The former Villarreal man is brilliantly creative with a magical dribble and is a serious dangerman for Chile, whose three forwards will either feed off him to get in a scoring position or draw the defenders away from him and allow him to pop up at the last minute to tuck the ball away. Only 24 years old, Fernandez could become a big star as a result of the exposure here.

Prediction: Chile were excellent in qualifying and look ready to impress people in South Africa. They’ll score plenty of goals and their unusual formation should create problems for the European sides who only really play 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 these days. I don’t think they’ll have any trouble coming second in this group and might even give Spain a scare, and if anyone can beat Brazil in the second round, it’s them.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Claudio Bravo, captain (Real Sociedad)

12. Miguel Pinto (Universidad de Chile)

23. Luis Marin (Union Espanola)

Defenders

2. Ismael Fuentes (Universidad Catolica)

3. Waldo Ponce (Universidad Catolica)

4. Mauricio Isla (Udinese)

5. Pablo Contreras (PAOK)

17. Gary Medel (Boca Juniors)

18. Gonzalo Jara (West Brom)

Midfielders

6. Carlos Carmona (Lazio)

8. Arturo Vidal (Bayer Leverkusen)

10. Jorge Valdivia (Al-Ain)

13. Marco Estrada (Montpellier)

14. Matias Fernandez (Sporting CP)

19. Gonzalo Fierro (Flamengo)

20. Rodrigo Millar (Colo-Colo)

21. Rodrigo Tello (Besiktas)

Forwards

7. Alexis Sanchez (Udinese)

9. Humberto Suazo (Monterrey)

11. Mark Gonzalez (CSKA Moscow)

15. Jean Beausejour (America)

16. Fabian Orellana (Xerez)

22. Esteban Paredes (Colo-Colo)

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

Day 7: Wow.

What a day of football that was. Firstly, Italy 1 – 1 Romania. Of all my pre-game predictions, this was the one I least expected to get right, but somehow it came off. It was a fair result, as well, as both teams would have felt severely hard done by if they’d lost. Romania were more attacking than I’d expected but showed that they can compete on more levels than just backs-to-the-wall defending, Mutu in particular having an excellent game, harassing the Italian defence and grabbing a deserved goal from Zambrotta’s terrible header. The immediate riposte from Cristian Panucci only served to ramp up the excitement for both teams, and it could have gone either way.

I suppose I’d better touch on the Toni goal that was disallowed wrongly for offside – yeah, it should have stood. Other than that, the referee had a pretty good game, but Italy will feel very aggrieved. They will probably see it as karma that Mutu’s penalty was later saved by an excellent Buffon dive.

Basically, that could have been the only game of the day and I’d have felt good about it, but no, there was even better to come. Holland 4 – 1 France was by far the best game of the tournament so far, featuring more stunning Dutch counterattacking and a fightback from the French. I certainly felt throughout the game, even when France were bombarding the Dutch box early in the second half, that Holland could probably go and score another goal at will, which they then proceeded to do in jaw-dropping fashion. All the goals were impressive, Dirk Kuyt’s opener because he connected with the header while being wrestled determinedly to the ground by Florent Malouda (how did he get picked again after the Romania game, by the way? He hardly justfied his selection last night), Thierry Henry’s clever touch into the corner to make it 2-1 for its precision and subtlety, and the other three were all sparkling examples of playing on the break.

Gregory Coupet was unlucky not to keep Robin van Persie’s effort out – it was so quick and difficult to save but he got a hand on it and nearly kept the score to 1-0 – but he had no chance at all with the third and fourth. Arjen Robben’s instant reply to the French goal, even quicker than Panucci’s equaliser, was absolutely stunning. The angle of the shot was just insane. Since his introduction at half-time, Robben showed exactly what he can be week-in, week-out, but isn’t because of his penchant for moodiness, diving and disinterest – he was my man of the match. Finally, Sneijder’s finisher in the final minute of stoppage time was an unstoppable rocket executed after a perfect turn around the French defender. I’ll need to see them all again to decide on the best, as well as Sneijder’s goal in the Italy game and Ibrahimovic’s wonder strike the other day, but I feel my life is enriched for having seen that game. It was the perfect example of the best of international football – on its day, it’s infinitely more entertaining than any club game. Tomorrow can’t possibly top it – right?

David Pleat Watch

Italy v Romania was one of Pleaty’s better days, but of course it was that man Mauro Camoranesi who proved his kryptonite. “Caroramesi”, “Canomaresi”, and “Camaresi” all made appareances. We were also informed that Romania were using Mewtwo, the popular Pokemon, as their penalty taker. Hmm.

Euro 2008 Preview: Group C

Team: France

Manager: Raymond Domenech has never quite been fully accepted by all French fans. His record is good – after all, France were a penalty kick away from the World Cup not so long ago – but that was after he had to convince Zidane, Thuram and Makelele to come out of retirement to do it. Since then, he dropped in my estimations considerably when he refused to recognise Makelele’s decision to return to international retirement and forced him to join up with the team anyway. Makelele kept quiet about it but Domenech came across very badly. You have to wonder what that says about his confidence in his other midfielders, despite having what looks like a very good squad indeed.

Strip: Blue shirt, white shorts, red socks, with red trim on the shirt. Second strip is red shirt, white shorts, blue socks.

Captain: Patrick Vieira will definitely miss the opening fixture against Romania, and is a serious doubt for the rest of the tournament, which would be a massive blow to Les Bleus. Lilian Thuram will probably lead the side in his absence – a pretty bad idea if you ask me. He’s gotten far too slow for top-class games and should have gone back to international retirement after the World Cup. I guess Domenech wouldn’t let him either.

Form: The French endured a nervy qualifying campaign, eventually finishing second behind Italy to hold off a spirited Scottish charge, which saw France lose home and away to Alex McLeish’s team. Their pre-finals friendlies tell us little apart from the fact that their forward line is one to be scared of – Henry passed Michel Platini’s goals record in qualifying, Karim Benzema is the best young player in Europe, Nicolas Anelka is as good as ever, and…

Man to Watch: Bafetimbi Gomis, the 22-year old St. Etienne striker, who scored twice on debut against Ecuador in a warm-up friendly the other week and is being chased by Newcastle, among others. He notched 16 for Les Verts in the Ligue 1 season and looks a strong, pacy forward. France really will be spoilt for choice.

Prediction: Should make it out of the group despite the formidable opposition, but will hope to avoid meeting Spain in the quarters. I’m going to hazard a guess at a loss in the semis to Fernando Torres et al.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Steve Mandanda (Marseille)

16. Sebastien Frey (Fiorentina)

23. Gregory Coupet (Lyon)

Defenders

2. Jean-Alain Boumsong (Lyon)

3. Eric Abidal (Barcelona)

5. William Gallas (Arsenal)

13. Patrice Evra (Man United)

14. Francois Clerc (Lyon)

15. Lilian Thuram (Barcelona)

17. Sebastien Squillaci (Lyon)

19. Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich)

Midfielders

4. Patrick Vieira (Inter)

6. Claude Makelele (Chelsea)

7. Florent Malouda (Chelsea)

11. Samir Nasri (Marseille)

20. Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon)

21. Lassana Diarra (Portsmouth)

22. Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)

(Mathieu Flamini (Milan), cover for Vieira)

Forwards

8. Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea)

9. Karim Benzema (Lyon)

10. Sidney Govou (Lyon)

12. Thierry Henry (Barcelona)

18. Bafetimbi Gomis (St. Etienne)

Team: Italy

Manager: Roberto Donadoni’s appointment was admitted by Demetrio Albertini (then vice-president of the Italian FA) as being something of a gamble, and so far it looks like paying off. Relatively inexperienced as a coach, he’s already had two spells in charge Livorno, sandwiching a three-game spell at Genoa (yes, it took him that little time to get sacked), with a couple of decent top-half finishes. Jury’s still out.

Strip: All blue. Second strip is white shirt, black shorts, white socks.

Captain: With talismanic Fabio Cannavaro being ruled out of the tournament this morning following a training injury, Gianluigi Buffon will almost certainly take on the armband. He’ll be as brilliant as ever, and represents a huge part of Italy’s hopes. If you score one goal against Buffon per game, you feel lucky.

Form: Recovered from a stuttering start to qualifying (drew with Lithuania and lost to France) but came back strongly to top the group, fighting off the dogged Scots and vengeful French. Their final warm-up friendly yielded a 3-1 victory over Belgium, though it remains to be seen what Cannavaro’s withdrawal will do to their morale.

Man to Watch: Fabio Quagliarella of Udinese is establishing himself in the Italy team after developing a knack of scoring stunning goals in Serie A. Fast and two-footed, he may not make the first team but will be one of a whole host of potential supersubs for the world champions.

Prediction: The loss of Cannavaro will hurt, particularly as they no longer have Alessandro Nesta to dominate the defense in his stead. I can see them succumbing to Spain in the quarters, though they should still give a good account of themselves.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)

14. Marco Amelia (Livorno)

17. Morgan De Sanctis (Sevilla)

Defenders

2. Christian Panucci (Roma)

3. Fabio Grosso (Lyon)

4. Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)

5. Alessandro Gamberini (Fiorentina)

6. Andrea Barzagli (Palermo)

19. Gianluca Zambrotta (Milan)

23. Marco Materazzi (Inter)

Midfielders

8. Gennaro Gattuso (Milan)

10. Daniele De Rossi (Roma)

13. Massimo Ambrosini (Milan)

16. Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus)

20. Simone Perrotta (Roma)

21. Andrea Pirlo (Milan)

22. Alberto Aquilani (Roma)

Forwards

7. Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)

9. Luca Toni (Bayern Munich)

11. Antonio Di Natale (Udinese)

12. Marco Boriello (Milan)

15. Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese)

18. Antonio Cassano (Sampdoria)

Team: the Netherlands

Manager: Marco van Basten, bound for Ajax after the championships, has still yet to entirely convince as an international manager. He did guide them to a 15-match unbeaten run soon after taking the job in 2004, but despite his best efforts has not yet been able to bring back the exciting attacking football that we all expect from the Dutch. Has not got an awful lot to lose considering the group Holland find themselves in, so hopefully he’ll get his players to put on a show.

Strip: Orange shirts (of course), white shorts, blue socks. Second strip is all blue (in differing shades) with white socks.

Captain: Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has flattered to deceive in recent years, his blushes saved on numerous occasions by Manchester United’s superb central defensive partnership of Ferdinand and Vidic. This must surely be his last international tournament, but the most-capped Dutch player of all time will be hoping to go out on a high. Maarten Stekelenburg is waiting in the wings…

Form: the Netherlands had little trouble in their group, with fellow-group-C-ers Romania being the biggest obstacle. Indeed, van Basten’s team took just one point from their two meetings with the men in yellow but still qualified with a game to spare – luckily, as they then lost their final game 2-1 to Belarus. Certainly not totally convincing. A 1-1 draw with Denmark in their first friendly told us little, though their 2-0 win over Wales more recently was achieved with real quality.

Man to Watch: PSV Eindhoven’s 22-year-old midfielder Ibrahim Afellay is an exciting talent, and though he will probably start on the bench, expect him to have an impact as a creative right-sided player.

Prediction: I doubt they’ll live up to their part in the ‘Group of Death’ tag.  They should finish third, though considering their recent history with Romania, don’t even take that for granted. Getting out of the group probably won’t happen.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Edwin van der Sar (Man United)

13. Henk Timmer (Feyenoord)

16. Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax)

Defenders

2. Andre Ooijer (Blackburn)

3. Johnny Heitinga (Atletico Madrid)

4. Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg)

5. Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord)

12. Mario Melchiot (Wigan)

14. Wilfred Bouma (Aston Villa)

15. Tim de Cler (Feyenoord)

21. Khalid Boulahrouz (Chelsea)

Midfielders

6. Demy de Zeeuw (AZ Alkmaar)

8. Orlando Engelaar (FC Twente)

10. Wesley Sneijder (Real Madrid)

11. Arjen Robben (Real Madrid)

17. Nigel de Jong (Hamburg)

20. Ibrahim Afellay (PSV)

23. Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg)

Forwards

7. Robin van Persie (Arsenal)

9. Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid)

18. Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool)

19. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Ajax)

22. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (Celtic)

Team: Romania

Manager: Last time Victor Piturca led Romania to a major tournament (Euro 2000), he was sacked before the first game of the competition because of disputes with the team’s big name players. Since returning in December 2004, he narrowly missed out on World Cup qualification before stylishly leading his team to Austria and Switzerland ahead of Holland.

Strip: All yellow with blue sides and trim. Second strip is all white with red sides and blue trim.

Captain: Inter Milan defender Cristian Chivu is the bedrock of the Romanian defence. One of the best defenders in Italy, he also has a wicked left foot when it comes to taking free-kicks. Capable of playing in midfield if necessary, but he’s much better at centre-back.

Form: Ten games unbeaten in qualifying, including six wins on the trot, indicate that Romania are ready for this. A good win over Russia in March was followed by a comfortable 4-0 over Montenegro in their final warm-up.

Man to Watch: 28-year-old attacking midfielder Nicolae Dica scored two in the win against Montenegro, and 8 goals in 25 appearances backs up his reputation as a goalscoring threat from midfield. Dynamic and powerful, he’ll be running the show from the middle of the park.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Bogdan Lobont (Dinamo Bucharest)

12. Marius Popa (Poli 1912)

23. Edward Stancioiu (CFR Cluj)

Defenders

2. Cosmin Contra (Getafe)

3. Razvan Rat (Shakhtar Donetsk)

4. Gabriel Tamas (Auxerre)

5. Cristian Chivu (Inter)

6. Mirel Radoi (Steaua Bucharest)

13. Cristian Sapunaru (Rapid Bucharest)

14. Sorin Ghionea (Steaua Bucharest)

15. Dorin Goian (Steaua Bucharest)

17. Cosmin Moti (Steaua Bucharest)

22. Stefan Radu (Lazio)

Midfielders

7. Florentin Petre (CSKA Sofia)

8. Paul Codrea (Siena)

11. Razvan Cocis (Lokomotiv Moscow)

16. Banel Nicolita (Steaua Bucharest)

19. Adrian Cristea (Dinamo Bucharest)

20. Nicolae Dica (Steaua Bucharest)

Forwards

9. Ciprian Marica (Stuttgart)

10. Adrian Mutu (Fiorentina)

18. Marius Niculae (Inverness CT)

21. Daniel Niculae (Auxerre)