Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
This is one of the tougher groups in the tournament. However, surely no one would bet against the Netherlands qualifying out of it.
The Dutch, together with Spain, are among football's underachievers. Despite producing a stream of talented footballers over the years, they have never managed to lift the World Cup, though they did reach the final twice in the 1970s. Their only international trophy is Euro 1988, where they paraded such stars as Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten Frank Rijkaard. With the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, & Marc Overmars, they reached the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup, where only a penalty shoot-out defeat to Brazil denied them a final appearance. Hopes are high that the current Dutch side could go far at this World Cup. The Netherlands became the first European team to qualify for South Africa, blitzing their qualifying opponents, & the trend could well continue at the World Cup. The following are the stars looking to emulate the class of 1988 & 1998: Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Rafael Van Der Vaart, Robin Van Persie. What a talented bunch! Not only do they have the players, they have been in blistering form in pre-World Cup friendlies, winning in blow-out scorelines like 4-1 & 6-1. It is true that those friendlies are not always reliable indicators of how a team will perform at the World Cup itself. But with those impressive performances, the Dutch have certainly put World Cup opponents on notice of their attacking potential.
I say attacking potential, because for all their midfield & forward talent, the Netherlands are not quite as strong in defence. So their chances of doing well could hinge on how their defenders perform. They will score lots of goals, which will qualify them from this group. Whether their defence can cope with the attacking threat of the likes of Spain, Brazil or Argentina is open to debate. Another positive point is the strong team spirit in the Dutch camp - there has been no sign of disharmony that blighted the Dutch squad in past international tournaments.
I say attacking potential, because for all their midfield & forward talent, the Netherlands are not quite as strong in defence. So their chances of doing well could hinge on how their defenders perform. They will score lots of goals, which will qualify them from this group. Whether their defence can cope with the attacking threat of the likes of Spain, Brazil or Argentina is open to debate. Another positive point is the strong team spirit in the Dutch camp - there has been no sign of disharmony that blighted the Dutch squad in past international tournaments.
I think Cameroon will just finish ahead of Denmark in second place. The Indomitable Lions will forever be remembered for their exploits at the 1990 World Cup, where they upset Argentina & gave England an almighty scare in the quarter-finals before bowing out in extra-time. That quarter-final achievement has only been matched by another African side just once: Senegal in 2002. The current Cameroon side has a lot to live up to. Cameroon are in transition, & their French coach Paul Le Guen will bring a number of young players to the World Cup, although "old heads" like full-back Geremi remain. Their physical strength will still be an asset, but Le Guen will be looking for their midfield to focus on providing a steady supply of chances to star striker Samuel Eto'o, arguably Africa's best forward alongside Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast. Do not bet against Eto'o being the top scorer in this group after the 3 group games, & his goals might just be enough to nudge them ahead of the Danes in the final group reckoning.
Neither Denmark nor Japan have forwards as sharp as Eto'o or Van Persie, & that is a reason why I think both will take an early flight home. Denmark did well to top their tough qualifying group ahead of Portugal & Scandinavian rivals Sweden. They are a balanced outfit - neither defensive nor particularly attacking. They will display traditional Scandinavian qualities of strong team spirit, team work & organisation. They keep possession well, but overall lack the quality of the Danish Dynamite side of the 1980s or the Denmark side that reached the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup. There is no equivalent of Michael & Brian Laudrup in the current Danish squad, though Ajax's teenage midfielder Christian Eriksen is one for the future. The midfield will be solid & sound. The defence will be led by Liverpool's dependable centre-back Daniel Agger, & promising young Simon Kjaer will play alongside him. No real qualms then about the defence & midfield. It is their attack that raises question marks. Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner is promising, but still young & not yet scoring consistently for Denmark. Jon Dahl Tomasson is past his best & has not been scoring much lately for his club. Expect Denmark to be awkward, tough to beat opponents, but do not expect spectacular fireworks.
Japan look lightweight & is unlikely to make much of an impression. Recent results do not inspire confidence, & coach Takeshi Okada has been under huge pressure. The Japanese play an open attacking game, with lots of short passes. They will not be dull to watch, & will in fact try to play entertaining football. Midfield (featuring the likes of Keisuke Honda, Shunsuke Nakamura & Makoto Hasebe) will be Japan's strongest department - at their best, Japan's midfield creativity can match & even exceed Denmark & Cameroon's midfield. The problem lies in defence, which does not look particularly tight, & in attack, where they may again suffer the same old problem of struggling to convert chances into enough goals. Japanese fans hope that their main striker Shinji Okazaki (16 goals in 25 games for Japan) steps up in the World Cup. If Japan's midfield can constantly create chances & Okazaki does an Eto'o, then who knows what Japan can achieve? Coach Okada has set the semi-finals as his team's target. That is extremely optimistic, to say the least (but at least Japan can improve simply by trying & pushing themselves). Maybe they can achieve that in a future World Cup. But for the current one, Japan may not even win a match.
Prediction:
1: Netherlands
2: Cameroon
3: Denmark
4: Japan
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
This group appears to be the weakest at the World Cup. Italy, of course, is the standout name in this group, being the defending world champions & one of the teams recognised as a World Cup heavyweight. Aside from that, none of the other teams have much international pedigree. All teams in this group are fairly defensive, so do not expect too much goals.
Italy have been largely unimpressive in the 4 years since lifting the 2006 World Cup under Marcello Lippi. He left the job after that World Cup, but was brought back for a second spell after Italy's quarter-final exit at Euro 2008 meant curtains for Donadoni. Results in the last 2 years have been mixed. They were not always convincing in the World Cup qualifiers. And in the 2009 Confederations Cup, they flopped with losses to Egypt & Brazil. Many point the finger of blame at Lippi himself. They say that Lippi has been way too loyal to the ageing heroes of 2006, placing too much trust in their experience & overlooking the fact that those players are getting past their best. Those critics have a point - Lippi could have used the Confederations Cup to integrate younger talents to the national squad, but he passed up that chance & selected the same old ageing players. They should still qualify from this group, but will they have the legs & stamina to go far in the tournament? It looks doubtful. Then again, one should never simply write off the Italians - more often than not, they get their act together in international tournaments, which was why they won the last World Cup.
Paraguay & Slovakia will fight it out for second spot. Paraguay finished third in the South American qualifiers, where they managed to beat heavyweights Brazil (2-0) & Argentina (1-0) at home. Paraguay teams are always strong defensively - more so than many other South American sides. But Argentinian coach Gerardo Martino is slowly getting Paraguay to be a little more attack-minded. Quite a good idea, for Paraguay do have some useful forwards. Roque Santa Cruz is one, so is Oscar Cardozo & Nelso Hardo Valdez. Another name will be added to the mix - Lucas Barrios, the Argentinian who has been naturalised (courtesy of his Paraguayan mother). Barrios has already made a spectacular start to his Paraguay career - 3 goal in his first 3 games. Paraguayan fans may well have more reasons to smile at the World Cup.
Slovakia sealed their South African spot by finishing ahead of more fancied neighbours Czech Republic & Poland. Some say that is due to the Czechs & Poles either underperforming or being in decline, but that would be harsh on the Slovaks. After all, they do have players playing in leagues all over Europe, so Slovakia are no mugs. This will be Slovakia's first World Cup, if you don't count their appearances in past tournaments as part of Czechoslovakia. Their best player is Napoli's Marek Hamsik, who is developing into one of the best midfielders in Eastern Europe & even the whole of Europe. Hamsik, Miroslav Stock & Vladimir Weiss (son of Slovakia's coach) form part of a speedy midfield which will be a handful for their opponents. It will be close between Paraguay & Slovakia for second spot. I think Paraguay will take it mainly because they have more tournament experience than the Slovakians.
New Zealand will be regarded as the group's whipping boys; everyone in the group will expect to take 3 points from them. The Kiwis will definitely be hard-pressed to get anything from their group games - Slovakia, Italy, Paraguay will be far stronger than the teams that New Zealand got past to get to the World Cup (which are teams from Oceania & Bahrain in the play-offs). Their performances in recent friendlies have been quite encouraging, & they include a shock 1-0 win over Serbia. However, the flipside is that the 3 group opponents will now be less likely to underestimate New Zealand. Coack Ricki Herbert will get the Kiwis to play very defensively, keeping many men behind the ball most of the time. They will finish last, but will certainly not be the easybeats that many predicted not so long ago.
Prediction:
1: Italy
2: Paraguay
3: Slovakia
4: New Zealand
Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal
Brazil find themselves in the toughest group of the tournament. That does not stop them from being favourites to top it - simply because they are Brazil. Not only that, they are among the top 2-3 favourites to win the cup - simply because they are Brazil. Indeed, Brazil are always favoured for any tournament they play in, having won more World Cups than anyone else.
They come to the World Cup with every reason for being confident. They finished first in the South American qualifying zone. They won the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa last year (effectively, that was a World Cup dress rehearsal). They are a settled & cohesive unit, & tactically astute under coach Dunga. And of course, they have top quality players all round. They win lots of matches & seldom lose. But for Brazilian fans, that is not enough. They want to see their team winning with style. They believe that Dunga's Brazil does not show the same flair in midfield as past Brazilian sides. Dunga's argument is that winning is more important than entertaining. He can claim (& he has the results to back him) that his formula is a winning one: strong defence, extremely devastating on the counter-attack. The skill & technique is still there, it's just that they have more structure & organisation than past Brazil sides.
Dunga's Brazil features one of the world's best goalkeeper (Julio Cesar), a tight central defence, flying full-backs, tough midfielders, Kaka in playmaker role, & forwards with electric pace & deadly finishing (they got Robinho, Luis Fabiano, Nilmar to choose from). All sounds well & good, except that Brazil fans are right to make noise about lack of creative midfield alternatives - Dunga did not pick Diego for the World Cup, so there is no direct replacement for Kaka if he loses form or gets injured. Nevertheless, it is hard to see Brazil finishing anywhere below first in this group.
As with some of the other groups, there are 2 teams likely to battle for second place. In this case, it will be Portugal & Ivory Coast. Portugal's chances of advancing rest to a considerable degree on the form of their golden star & world's most expensive footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo. Portugal needs to deploy him where he can produce his best - fans believe this is on the wing. However, Portugal's coach often slots Ronaldo in a more central role, where someone else could be playing instead. Portugal will line up with 4-3-3 (which they have been using for years). As far as the front 2 goes, if we assume that Ronaldo occupies one wing role, the other wing will be filled by either Nani or Simao. It is the raids from the wingers that will be key to Portugal's hopes. The back 4 are experienced & should be able to form a tight, cohesive unit. The 3 midfielders can pass & tackle well. Portugal reached the semi-finals in 2006, but they can forget about going anywhere near this time round if they play like they did in some of their qualifying matches.
Ivory Coast has been touted by many to be Africa's best hope at this World Cup. Those claims look more questionable after their loss to Algeria in the African Nations Cup quarter-final earlier this year. The Algerians exposed the Ivorian's defence as being weak. New coach Sven-Goran Eriksson (formerly of England & Mexico, appointed after the African Nations Cup debacle, has a lot of work to do to sort out the defence. At least the midfield looks stronger, with powerful & physically strong players like Yaya Toure & Didier Zokora forming a strong defensive midfield pairing. Upfront, it gets even better - Ivory Coast have a host of forwards to choose from, most notably Chelsea's Didier Drogba. Unfortunately for them, Drogba was injured during a pre-World Cup friendly against Japan (interestingly, Chelsea's players seem to be falling to injuries before the World Cup) & he is battling to be fit for the tournament kick-off.
At the end, I think Portugal will finish ahead of Ivory Coast in second place: the African side has a weaker defence & may not be the same without a fully-fit Drogba. Finishing last will be North Korea. This will be their second appearance at the World Cup. Their first, in 1966 in England, was memorable - they upset Italy 1-2 & led Portugal 3-0 in the quarter-finals before losing 5-3. The North Koreans are back, & they will have another date with Portugal. North Korea will really be up against it in this tough group, & will almost certainly not repeat their heroics of 1966. Most of their players play domestically, & very little is known about them. North Korea are well-drilled, & will employ ultra-defensive tactics as they did in the Asian qualifying matches. That approach is understandable, given the opponents they face in this group - much tougher opponents than the likes of Saudi Arabia or Iran that they faced in the qualifiers. At least North Korea are guaranteed 3 tough games in this group, & they will be on a very steep learning curve. Their football can only benefit from such rare exposure. If there is one player to look out for, it is Jong Tae-se, the Japanese-born striker. He is physically strong, dangerous & is known as the "Asian Rooney", so do not be surprised if he bags a couple of goals in the World Cup.
Prediction:
1: Brazil
2: Portugal
3: Ivory Coast
4: North Korea
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile
Spot the odd team out from this group. That's easy. It's Switzerland - they are the only non-Spanish speaking nation in this group. The Swiss players will get to hear lots of Spanish accents during their matches! On a more serious note, they could not possibly have asked for a tougher start - their first match is against European champions Spain.
In winning Euro 2008 in style, Spain finally have something to show for their undoubted talent & it ended years of "so near yet so far" frustration at international level. Spain then continued the winning habit during the World Cup qualifiers, where they won all 10 qualifying matches to clinch their ticket to South Africa. They will arrive as the best team in Europe & one of the favourites to lift the World Cup. And why not? Iker Casillas is one of the best keepers in the world, & Pepe Reina & Victor Valdes can provide cover if Casillas is injured. They have a better defence than Spain sides of the past. And just look at Spain's midfielders: Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, David Silva, Xabi Alonso, Jesus Navas, Javi Martinez. That is some cast! Spain probably have the best midfield in the world. Their forwards ooze quality too: they can call on Fernando Torres, David Villa, Juan Mata, Alvaro Negredo & Barcelona's new sensational Pedro Rodriguez. Spain play the passing, possession game known in their country as tiki-taka. And yes, Barcelona play a similar style of football. It's no coincidence that 8 Barcelona players are in Spain's World Cup squad. Spain's group opponents will not be a cakewalk, but they should not prove too intimidating either. They will dominate this group in style & finish top. They are genuine World Cup contenders.
It's not easy to pick who will finish second. It'll be between Chile & Switzerland, & their match-up will showcase a contrast of styles & tactics. The Chileans did so well in the South American qualifiers, finishing second behind Brazil. Credit for their good showing should go to their Argentinian coach Marcelo Bielsa. His appointment as Chile's coach initially did not go well with some, who did not fancy the idea of an Argentinian being in charge of their national team. But results, achieved with style, soon won over the detractors. Under Bielsa, Chile play a high tempo attacking game which overall is not all that different from Spain's version. They use the old Dutch 3-3-1-3 formation that Bielsa likes, with a three-men attacking line supported by a playmaker (Matias Fernandez). The 3 men defence will be ably protected by the 3 midfielders with ball-winning capabilities. Some observers say Chile's football during the qualifiers was more impressive than that displayed by Brazil & Argentina, so expect Chile to entertain well at the tournament. They will not be dull to watch. Bielsa will be remembered as the coach who crashed early with Argentina in 2002. Now, 8 years on, he is probably wiser & would have learned from his past mistakes. He will have something to prove, & will be be eager to make amends for that 2002 debacle by taking Chile to the next round. And I think he will succeed in this aim.
I say that because Switzerland do not look to have quite the same attacking threat as Chile. The Swiss will be disciplined, organised & hard to beat. They will line up in a basic 4-4-2 formation, which is favoured by their German coach Ottmar Hitzfeld. He used the same formation to win the European Cup with Dortmund & Bayern Munich. Their backline will include Philippe Senderos, who will play despite not featuring regularly for his club. Their 2 central midfielders (Inler & Fernandes) play deeper than the flank midfielders (Barnetta on the left, Padalino on the right) who do a lot more attacking. Up front, a lot will depend on the form of Alex Frei. If he gets into a goalscoring vein, then the Swiss might surprise everyone & reach the next stage. If he struggles, then one wonders who else will do the scoring. Eren Derdiyok is still young & not yet established, though he is more mobile than Blaise Nkufo who plays a similar role to Emile Heskey for England. Overall, I think Chile's more dangerous attack will be the difference. Remarkably, Switzerland did not concede any goals at the last World Cup, but were eliminated in the round of 16 by penalty shoot-out. It would be a major if Switzerland can keep a clean sheet in this group, especially against Spain. Swiss football is undergoing a sort of boom at youth level - Switzerland won the under-17 world championship last year in Nigeria. It reflects well on the improving Swiss youth system, but the World Cup is too early for any of those under-17 players to be called up. That younger generation may shine for the senior Switzerland team in future tournaments, but for this World Cup, the current Swiss side may have to settle for third place in the group.
Honduras are making their second appearance since the 1982 World Cup. They sealed their spot in South Africa only after Costa Rica were held to a draw by USA. How they will fare is anybody's guess. Like all Hispanic sides, the Hondurans will be good on the ball. Honduras' best player is Tottenham's Wilson Palacios. Much will be expected from him at the World Cup, although they have a few others playing in Europe. This group is considered the best generation in Honduran football history. On the whole, Honduras will not be that easy to beat, especially if their tactically astute South American coach (Colombia's Reinaldo Rueda) can get the best from the Honduras players. Qualifying for the next round is another matter entirely, & this will probably be too much to expect from Honduras. A major issue is the lack of depth in the squad - if Palacios & other first choice players are injured, Honduras will really struggle as the reserves are not of the same quality.
Prediction:
1: Spain
2: Chile
3: Switzerland
4: Honduras
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