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)
Posted by George Ankers 
georgeankers.com 