A week to forget for Valencia

Every team has them, at some stage of the season, some for a few games, some for a month, others longer, but it’s not good to have one when you are in the Champion’s League and being intent on opening a gap between those teams pushing you in the on going battle for a place in next season Champion’s League. What you can probably tell, from the various clues, would be in relation to a ´bad patch´. Valencia last week had one, but one which was no doubt emphatic and one which if not dealt with, could disrupt what had looked like being a successful season.

First of all they were dumped out of the Champion’s League, 4 – 2 on aggregate, against what looked like a very average side in Shalke 04 of Germany, who are struggling domestically and have just recently got rid of their manager Felix McGath. They needed a good performance away from home after drawing the home leg in the Mestalla in Valencia 1 – 1 (with the away goal in Europe being of the upmost importance). Things seemed to be going well, when an early goal from the Portuguese central defender Costa in the seventeenth minute give them the lead in the tie, and an important away goal. Then just before half time Farfán scored a nice curling free kick to level the tie score wise and cancel out the away goal from Valencia. Everything was to play for, and both sides were well matched in a fairly even tie. What was needed was for Valencia to demonstrate the stylish but effective football that has served them well so far this season. This however was lacking, with the Germans producing a strong second half, typical performance and scoring two more goals in the form of another from Farfán and one from Gavronovic and put them into the next round.

Manager Urai Emery voiced his disappointment after the game, by saying "We've been knocked out unjustly, we've missed an opportunity with everything in our favour. It was a game where we had more chances and we lost. I went back into the dressing room so disappointed that I couldn't say anything to the players, but I have nothing to blame them for." This statement was maybe in some opinions not a fair reflection on the game, although it is easy to say that scoring in the first half give them the benchmark to move on and score a few more and advance to the next round. An opportunity they seized to take and are thus paying the price.

After the disappointment of the knock out from the Champions League it was up to Valencia to lift themselves and get back into the bread and butter, as they say, of the league. They were given a fixture which looked in hindsight, a good way to recuperate from the disappointment of midweek, against a team that has been hovering around the basement and relegation places all season. An away tie against a Zaragoza side, seemed perfect, but turned out to be a nightmare. Valencia went down 4 – 0, in what was a disastrous performance, which was culminated by a sending off as well. This in turn lead to the club captain, David Navarro, giving a public apology to fans after the game, something which in football is pretty much unheard off.

The pressure is on the manager Urai Emery and his players now to step up after a disappointing week and move forward and secure their objective of a champion’s league place for next season. Their will be no more distractions now, as they are already out of the Spanish Cup and as has been mentioned, the Champions League and will therefore maybe take this as a positive, in the fact that there are no more distractions from now until the end of the future.

First up, is Sevilla, another massive game, and against one of the those that are after the coveted Champions League places, although it has to be said, that Valencia are in a far better position in regards to this. Any game for any team though against Sevilla is always difficult, but no doubt a win will help Valencia and maybe they can extend their gap between the chasing teams. The season will not end on this game though, with as well as Real Madrid to play, they have games against other teams in and around them, so after a disastrous week, its time to lift those heads again, and move forward, and get back to how they have been playing so far this season, impressively.

Published in http://www.90soccer.com/imported/a-week-to-forget-for-valencia/

Adios to a legend

The evolution of Sevilla has already started, with the club looking to start again, after a period of years that has reaped great rewards for the team on the pitch in the shape of cups, top four placed finishes in the league and their subsequent appearances in Europe’s top competition the Champions League (for the first time in their history). Things though, like in life and football, cannot and don’t go on forever, with football always being about cycles. It’s difficult for a team to reach a good level, but it is even harder for them to stay there, and then do it consistently for years to come after that. This inevitably leads to many of the players that were key in a period of success for a club, to have to move on, to pastures anew and for the club to replace these, with ones that will take over, and hopefully be better than those who they replaced.


One player key to Sevilla´s recent successful past, has been Luis Fabiano, the Brazilian played instrumental parts in the re-establishment of Sevilla as a major force in Spain and in Europe. Fabiano up until he joined Sevilla, had enjoyed very limited success in Europe with spells in the French league with Rennes and in the Portuguese with Porto. Both were only to be for a period of one season each, as he found goals very hard to come by, so much so that he only scored three goals, with these coming for Porto, and managing none with Rennes. The spell with Rennes was sandwiched between the other club where he enjoyed success, that being Sao Paulo of Brazil and whom he has recently rejoined again after six and a half seasons playing in Europe. Porto decided to sell on the player to Sevilla where his first season would be much more significantly successful than his previous campaigns in European leagues.

In his first season, Fabiano finished second to David Guiza (then of Getafe) in the top goal scorer ranks with a total of 24 goals and more importantly scoring in the final of the UEFA cup in the 4 – 0 hammering of English side, Middlesborough and was also pivotal in his sides successful defense of the same cup the season after as well as their great league performance, which meant they qualified for Europe’s main competition the Champions league.

He would go on to score a total of 72 goals in 147 appearances for Sevilla, which was nearly a goal every other game, an achievement not so easy to accomplish in a league as tough as the Spanish, placing him as one of the most successful foreign imports to play there in the history of the league.

Fabiano continued to impress in the following seasons at Sevilla, and as is always the case with players performing at high levels consistently well, was linked regularly with moves abroad to big clubs playing in the other main competitions in Europe. The most serious bidders were that of Tottenham Hotspur of the Premier League and also AC Milan of Serie A, where it was reported the striker pleaded with the club to let him go, but as history states, this request was rejected by Sevilla and thus Fabiano continued plying his trade in Spain, and even signed a new contract until 2013 and stating his willingness to stay "This is my home, I've been here six seasons and I will try to continue scoring goals and continue making history for Sevilla". In the end though Sevilla and Fabiano give into their thoughts and Fabiano returned to Brazil and the club received a nice sum of money in the form of 7.6 million Euros, a good bit of business for a player who is now thirty years of age, and who had served them for many years.

So what now for Fabiano? First of all he will be looking to make a big impression in the Brazilian league, which will be difficult, giving the amount of big names that have recently returned to their homeland to play again. Also on the horizon is the World Cup which will be held in Brazil in 2014, something which maybe coincides with the arrival of those returning from Europe, and with Brazilian coach Menezes liking a target man up front, this could be a good opportunity to press his claim for a tournament in which every Brazilian player will want to play in, and with Brazil short in this area, and the only obvious other, being that of Adriano, who also will return to Brazil, most probably with Corinthians, being in what seems a nightmare moment of his career, then the scene seems to be set for Fabiano to shine. He will be greatly missed by Sevilla, that’s for sure.

Published in 90 Soccer.com

Trying to get the wheels rolling again

A little over ten years ago, Sevilla FC were in the second tier of the Spanish league and looking for a new resurgence to take them back into the elite of Spanish football and kick start their history again. That history started, by winning the Second division under manager Joaquín Caparrós and from there Sevilla would move into a decade where they would end their trophy drought which had lasted for fifty eight years, and in addition adding more to this one, ending a period of financial suppression and seeing the club take a deserved place among Spain’s and Europe’s elite.

Having won the second division trophy at the end of the 2000-2001 season, the club set about sustaining itself both financially and in terms of position within the first division. The club gained stability in the league, although it wasn’t until the sale of homegrown superstar José Antonio Reyes to Arsenal in January 2004 for an initial fee of £10.5 million where the wheels of change started to roll and gather speed. In the 2003-2004 season the team reached the semi finals of the Copa del Rey (Spanish cup), after a period of twenty years, as well as earning a ticket to Europe as a consequence of finishing 6th in the league and well, from there, things really started to happen.

The appointment of Juande Ramos, as manager at the start of the 2005 – 2006 season, lead to also an influx of quality signings that would turn Sevilla into a club that others needed to start to take seriously. These players included Andrés Palop from Valencia, Julien Escudé from Ajax, Javier Saviola from Barcelona, Luis Fabiano from FC Porto and Frédéric Kanouté from Tottenham Hotspur and these in turn would go on to play an integral part of the success of the club in the upcoming years. The team went onto win the UEFA cup in style in that year, by beating Steve McLaren´s Middelsborough by the biggest margin of victory in a UEFA cup final. Sevilla also beat Lokomotiv Moscow, Lille, Zenit st Petersburg and Shalke along the way. As a direct consequence of winning the UEFA cup they played the Super cup final as well, and managed to beat the then champion’s league holders Barcelona 3 – 0 and with it double their trophy haul in the space of three months.

A fifth place finish in the 2005 – 2006 season and the following season a third place finish, and with it champions league qualification, ensured that the team was progressing well on the Spanish stage as well as the European. There status in Europe also increased as the team again won the UEFA cup beating fellow Spaniards RCD Espanyol on penalties after a result of 2-2 after 120 minutes. This put them in the history book as only the second team in Europe to defend the UEFA cup title, etching their name alongside another great of European history, Real Madrid.

The beginning of the 2007–2008 season saw two events that would change the club, with one being one of the biggest emotional shocks that would take place in modern day football. This came from the death of the Sevilla player Antonio Puerta who suffered from a series of cardiac arrests during a league game against Getafe CF. This sent shockwaves throughout football, and as a mark of respect Sevilla gave one minute of silence at every home game for the rest of that season. They also tried to retire the number sixteen shirt but the rule that La Liga clubs cant retire shirts numbered one to twenty five, meant that this was not possible, and as a consequence they give the shirt to Dsvid Prieto, although now it is worn by Diego Capel. Sevilla fans also show their respects, by clapping throughout the sixteenth minute of every game, because of the number sixteen that was worn by Puerta, at the time of his sudden death.

As well as this, Sevilla, would lose someone else who was instrumental in their success of recent times. Manager Jaunde Ramos would resign from his post to take up a rather unsuccessful stint at Tottenham Hotspur of England and leave behind a legacy of being the most successful Sevilla coach of recent times. He would be replaced by Manuel Jiménez Jiménez and this would in turn lead to two more managers in the following years.

The last few years have not been as successful as those earlier on in the previous decade, although the team did manage to win the Spanish cup the last year. They seem to be going through a transitional phase at the minute, and their league position seems to be consolidating this theory, with the team stagnating around the sixth to tenth position this season. New players have been coming in, and the players who have been pivotal in the success of the team in the last few years, seem to be on the way out, among those, Luis Fabiano, who is constantly linked with a move, and has publicly declared his intention to do so, in the last week. It seems the good times have passed, and the next stage being in its early days, although the team now, has more of a base from which to improve on, than that earlier transitional period at the beginning of the year 2000. Heres hoping that success will prevail again, for this wonderful city and its team.

This article was published at http://www.90soccer.com/imported/trying-to-get-the-wheels-rolling-again/ on the 28th of February, 2011

Back from the brink, a success story

There have been a few teams over the years, that have been either near to bankruptcy, or have gone into bankruptcy, and therefore have had to sell on there star players, so as to recuperate some of the money lost, and to keep the club afloat. Not many have been able to deal with this problem; Leeds United from England comes to mind. Having had to sell their star players, and the majority of the team, that reached the Champions league semi- final in the 2000 – 2001 season, against Valencia, 3 – 0 on aggregate, they proceeded to hurtle down two divisions in successive seasons. The redevelopment stage is difficult but by no means impossible. Which brings me along nicely to what I have been discussing before?

Valencia have had to do in the last two seasons what Leeds did back then, having had to sell players that were equally if not more important to them in the past few years. Any team which would have to sell players such as David Villa, David Silva, Carlos Marchena López, Raul Albiol, Fernando Morientes and Ivan Helguera, players who have played important roles not just at Valencia but also with the Spanish National Team, which has been so successful over the years, winning the World Cup and European Championship, would no doubt inevitably struggle, add to this as well, that work on their new stadium, a 75,000-seater, called Nou Mestalla, has been stopped, then, certainly the odds are stacked against them and having to do it under very tight financial constraints doesn’t by no means doesn’t help either.

As is always inevitable, and as teams evolve, for many different reasons, new players have to replace those ones that have been shipped out, so the task fell on the manager to find those, that were capable of filling these big boots. Unai Emery was the man asked to take charge of this and has proved a more than useful tactician in his first season with the club, guiding them to a sixth place finish in La Liga, quarter finals of the Copa del Rey and round 16º of the UEFA cup, this followed the next season, by the club finishing third and subsequent Champions League qualification, something of which is of the upmost importance for a financially struggling club.

The acquisition of Emery has been a shrewd move from the board of Valencia, who looked upon a record of having coached only 2 teams in the past for a period of four years, and handed him the reigns in trying to improve the image of the club again after a few years in the doldrums. Their gamble has paid of, with Valencia playing some of the prettiest attacking football in years, and one of the best teams to watch in La Liga and looking like a throwback to the team of the 1999 – 2004 era, that were Champion’s League runners up two years in a row, and that won the league championship twice along with the UEFA cup (now called the Europa League). He has managed to install the same mentality that was shown in these successful years by making Valencia a hard team to beat as well as playing football that is very easy on the eye.

This season the team has again demonstrated that it is continuing to improve, and has most importantly filled the gaps that were left by those that moved on in the summer. Those that have been brought in include Mehmet Topal, a Turkish defensive midfield player brought in from Galatasaray, after a successful Euro 2008, Ricardo Costa, a Portuguese Defender, bought form Wolsburg, Soldado a 25 years old, Spanish player who played for Getafe for two prolific seasons, as well as being a Real Madrid player in the past, Alberto Costa, a technical, penalty – taking, free kick taking Argentine and Aduriz, signed from Mallorca, whose early season form lead him to be called up for Spain for the first time at the age of 29.

These players have been able, to the surprise of many a football expert, to play together like a team that has done so for many years, and apart from displaying good football, get good results as well, with the team also not dropping out of the top five all season, and being above the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid for the first six weeks of the season. They have been able to maintain their form, and currently sit in forth position in the league, six points ahead of Bilbao in the race for the Champions League positions. They also demonstrated great matureness as a team, qualifying for the second round of the Champions League, by finishing second in a strong group that included Manchester United, Glasgow Rangers and Bursapor from Turkey, this in turn has given them a game against Schalke 04 in the next round and a great chance to progress to the quarter finals of Europe’s premier competition and also reached the quarter finals of the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup).

To continue the good run they are on in this moment and to keep the momentum going for this season, with a Champions League position being the optimum prize (more for the financial stakes), they seem to have signed a rather interesting acquisition that will no doubt give them more of an edge in the attacking area and improve this element of their team that has already been very functioning so well this season.

The signing of Jonas Goncalves Oliviera, who was top scorer in the 2009 Serie A Brazilian Championship with Gremio, for what looks like a snatch at 1.25 million euros, especially for a team like Valencia that doesn’t have money to spend in abundance, seems like a good bit of business and one which will no doubt help the team continue to lift themselves out of the doldrums and back among the elite. Hopefully with signings like this, and the extra money that will come from a Champions League place, the team will be better both on and of the pitch, putting some money in the bank and moving into their new stadium, and rightfully taking their place back among Spain’s and Europe’s elite.
This article was published the 9th of February, 2011 at http://www.90soccer.com/

A few days with culture and sun

When are you in Spain, but the locals who live there, think this is anything but Spain? Where are you also in Spain, but the language predominately spoken there are is not Spanish. The answer to this is of course, Barcelona, situated in the region of Catalonia, which is a nation within-a-nation.

Catalonia, where the capital of this semi-autonomous region is the magnificent city of Barcelona, is one of the most busiest ports in the whole of the Mediterranean, and in terms of cultural, commerce and sport is not only one of the most important and greatest cities in Spain where it not only rivals Madrid but is on a par, but also in the whole of Europe.

One of the most defining moments in Barcelona’s history and which brought it to the attention of the World, was the 1992 Olympic games, staged in the impressive and purpose built Parc de Montjuic. After the success of the games, tourists came in there droves and continue too, with Barcelona one of the most visited cities in Europe.

There are many great and interesting things to do and see in this wonderful city, the city itself is best known for the immense amount of superb buildings which were left behind by the artistic explosion of modernisme in the decades around 1900.

One of the most impressive areas of the city is the Barrio Gótico (Gothic Quarter) which is seen as the true heart of Barcelona. The area has been the location for the cities administrative buildings since the Romans founded the colonia (town) here in 27 BC, here is where is situated the Catalonia parliament, and the Casa de la Ciutat, the town hall. Close by stands the Gothic Cathedral and Royal palace stand, where Columbus was received by the Catholic Monarchs on his return from the New World in 1492. This area no doubt gives you a feeling of Old Barcelona and gives you an sense of escapism from modern day life, with its relaxed and contempory style.

From an area known for its laid-back nature, to one which is busy around the clock. La Rambla, is one of the most famous streets in Spain. The central walkway makes a perfect introduction to Barcelona life. As well as taking in mansions, shops, and cafes, the street is also stuffed with, street vendors, tarot readers, musicians and mime artists. This has to be one of the most enthralling walks in the world, as the many different and wonderful sights can have you wondering where the last hour of your life has went? As you become totally immersed into the life of the street and the many goings on which engulf it?

One of the most iconic buildings in Barcelona, and which typifies the thinking of this city, is the Sagrada Familia, seen as an emblem, for a region which likes to think of itself as individualistic. An unconventional church, temple de la Sagrada Familia to give it its full name, is full of symbolism which is inspired by nature and strives for originality. Neo-Gothic in style, it is the work of the great Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. Designed, by him, it was his life’s work, so much that he lived within it for 16 years; in fact he is buried in the crypt. Such is the scale of the project, that only one of the towers was complete upon his death, in 1926. Work still continues today, after stalling during the Civil War, financed by public subscription.

It would be easy to chat about Barcelona all day, with its great array of sights to see and things to do. I still haven’t mentioned the Nou Camp, home of Barcelona F.C, recently crowned European Club Champions, the Museum of Picasso, Barceloneta, a really good option to relax, enjoy nice food and top up your tan, Montjuic and the Pyrenees are near also, which offers a range of magnificent scenery and activities to do. So my advice to you is just to go there and see it, do it and if you don’t do everything you want, then go back again another time.

City of Kings

What is one of the most visited cities in the world, where the visitors are in such a hurry to leave there, that they forget to look at and enjoy a city that has many unknown, interesting places to visit and things to do. When I was travelling the common reflection or judgment of Lima was one which tended to be the same with whomever I spoke too, one which was without a glowing reference or fond memory.

One of the most frequently visited places in South America is the city of Lima, capital of Peru. This statement can start of a train of thought, that makes the reader believe that Lima is droving with tourists, who come their to bask in the riches that makes anyone want to visit somewhere in the first place for example, culture, places of interest, history, etc. but this couldn’t be further from the truth, with Lima seen as something entirely different, a sort of stop over or gap filler so as to tour the other more popular areas of Peru such as Cusco, Arequipa, Trujillo, etc., with visitors, choosing to spend as little time there as possible.
Millions of people are squeezed into Lima, making it one of the most populous cities in South America. The city can transport you from somewhere that resembles in patches – Europe, with its business district and the modern Miraflores, with its hip and stylish shops, to somewhere that on the opposite end of the scale that seems like the third world, with many shantytowns dotted around the city, housing poor people, amongst very wretched and what seems like unlivable conditions.
Movement in Lima can be hectic and a little draining, with it being a fast-moving metropolis with a reputation for pollution, freneticism, being a dangerous place and the odd traffic jam!!!!. (Which incidentally, some might say is a very polite way to put it). Maybe this is one of the things which irritates the tourists when they arrive here, as straight away you are put right into it, head first when you make your journey from the airport to the most probable location of any tourist, back packer, etc. being Miraflores, within time it clearly becomes obvious that patience is a virtue that might well be needed and have to be used in abundance.

If the effort which comes from the aforementioned is called upon then the rewards can be plentiful, with a wide range of things to do, see and enjoy, for example, pre-Inca archeological places like Pachacamac and Huaca Pucllana and the lasting impression which the buildings and houses of Downtown can leave upon you, from the very influential period when the Spanish ruled this part of the world, and used Lima as the capital of their vast land spanning empire, thus naming Lima the City of Kings, with as well as leaving the Spanish language they also left lots of examples of typical Spanish colonial architecture, this being so much true, that the centre itself is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage List, not forgetting, also there are ultramodern shopping malls, the countries best museums like the Museum of Archeology, Anthropology and History of Peru, paragliding with a view of the cliffs in Miraflores, and the relaxed atmosphere of Barranco bars and discotheques.
These are, though, only but a few, the tip of the iceberg some might say, with along with being famous for its Incas history and infinite numbers of archeological sites, there is another thing that Peru is world famous for, food!!!!! Peruvian food is very quickly gaining a reputation world wide as having some of the most delicious and succulent that there are, with the

various types on offer, being able to cater for all tastes and preferences, as well as wanting to try something new which someone unfamiliar with these parts, might well want to do. On the subject of food and an area which in most cities in Europe, Asia and North America are accustomed to having, this being a Chinatown, but for example, South America is one continent in the world which has not being going with this trend, as in this moment the amount of these such areas in this part of the world are few and far between, with the Chinatown in Lima being the most distinctive, with as well as setting itself apart with its food, there are also other aspects which give the area a feeling of transporting you to a uniquely different experience from that which Lima gives you, to being able to enjoy Chinese architecture and decorations.

Peruvian food as stated before is growing in reputation, and Chinese food in Lima is no exception, with the quality, being second to none. There are over 6000 Chinese-Peruvian restaurants in Lima called Chifas and Peru is by far the country with the most Chinese restaurants in Latin America, which no doubt reflects the popularity of the food in this country, so a visit to Chinatown in Lima is a must, if you want to experience a unique atmosphere in a unique location in the world.

So if you have been to Lima or as yet have not been able to enjoy its many delights, please give it a few more days than the accustomed amount tourists usually tend to do, who knows, you might well be surprised and maybe even be able to persuade many others to come and see what the fuss is about, and start of a train of thought that co exists with that of a destination and not just a stop over. I hope so!

The World Cup 2010: the football party starts

One of the best things that happens every two years, but only if you are a football fan, or maybe not, if you tune in for the numerous pairs of legs on show, is after a packed domestic campaign, which includes the league, domestic cups, European cups and international friendlies/qualifiers is that then comes the major tournament, the most prestigious one in many peoples eyes. This year there is one which everyone is talking about, for numerous reasons. One reason is that it is the first football World Cup to be staged in Africa, after previous tournaments alternating between Europe, South America, North America and Asia.
As for the favourites for the tournament, as usual there is all the usual suspects, even if those classed among them, might well have struggled to get to the world cup itself in the first place, or maybe living on the past glories of their predecessors.
Among the usual ones, you have Brazil, England, Argentina, France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Holland. All these teams have been kept apart, in the group stages, except Brazil and Portugal, which should prove a mouth watering tie and maybe one that might send one of the so called big boys home early.
After the most popular names which roll of the tongue when people talk about the favourites, we always have the next tier, the ones who if they play above their normal capacity levels and have a great deal of luck thrown their way, might indeed leave South Africa with the trophy.

Personally I think the African teams can be counted within these, maybe with the exception of the hosts South Africa, who on paper have maybe the weakest team among the home continent sides, although, host nations have normally tended to make good progression at the major tournaments, although I would expect South Africa, this time, to be an exception, with maybe the second round, a more, realistic objective.

There is though, no denying, the improvement from the African nations recently, with the improvement in tactics and technique, now being seen along with the strength and speed of the African teams of old. The fact that they are playing the biggest football tournament in the world on their own continent as well might also prove to be an extra bit of motivation for them.

Group A
Lots of eyes will be on this group, as the hosts will be playing in this one. Traditionally the host nations have did well in World Cups, and progressed from there groups and then beyond. This group sees a repeat of two teams from the same group of the 1998 world cup, France and South Africa, when France were the hosts, this time however the roles are reversed, with South Africa the hosts, and instead of Saudi Arabia and Denmark, the other two teams are Mexico and Uruguay. The game between the Latin America teams should be an interesting encounter, while France will obviously be the favourites for the group, but only on the reputation that precedes them, while there is always a keenness for the host nation to advance. I wouldn’t say that France are the favourites, but should pass through to the next stage, but with a little hic up along the way, and also South Africa to join them. There is no doubt however that the host side will need to play well, and have a great deal of luck, but as seen before in the Confederations Cup staged last year (where they reached the Semi Finals), they are capable, Mexico and Uruguay will push them close, but they need Diego Forlan to be firing on all cylinders.

Group B
Argentina should be one of the favourites to win the competition, but however, this does not appear so, even if they have the Worlds best player in Lionel Messi. There is no doubting that they have individuals who are exceptional, but there seems to be a doubt as to if they can play as a team. The manager Diego Maradona, so far it seems has not been able to get the mix correct, something reflected in there scraping through the qualifiers to reach this point.
They will face Nigeria, Greece and South Korea. Nigeria and South Korea now are regular attendees at World cups over the years, with Greece the same can’t be said. It should be a group with contrasting styles of football with Argentina, the typical South American style with lots of touches on the ball and patient build up, Nigeria with their strong Athletic style, South Korea and their incredible levels of fitness and Greece with their European style.
If Argentina gets their act together and Messi carries his form from Barcelona into the world cup, they should qualify with ease. All eyes will be on Messi, whom, people think hasn’t reached the high of domestic performances compared to those of international, so pressure and the hope of a nation will be on him. Apart from Argentina the second position could be anyone’s guess, although I would say Nigeria, with their strong athletic and technical players and also with the incentive of the tournament being in Africa, will be enough to see them through.

Group C
As always England starts the tournament as one of the favourites, but this time, deservedly so. Following a good qualifying campaign where they lost only once, and looked more of a secure outfit under Fabio Capello than Steve McLaren, England seem to have taken the extra step which everyone was waiting for. There is no doubt that over the last 10 or 15 years England have had good individual players, but there was always the inability for them to be bale to play together, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard being the most obvious and famous example. However under the shrewd old head of Capello, these things seem to be ratified and ironed out. Of course there are some problems, for example in the goalkeeper position, but all in all England look a excellent bet to progress from this group, and to advance even more, with the semi finals looking very promising.
USA is now very experienced old heads in the World Cup and has been improving every time. No doubt the introduction of the MLS has helped and also with many players playing in Europe this has added greater experience of playing against quality player’s week in, week out. With this in mind, and the inexperience and lesser quality of the other teams, Algeria and Slovakia, I would expect them along with England to advance to the second round.

Group D
Until about a few weeks ago, Germany looked odds on to progress out of this group, but following the injury to Michael Ballack, this has been cut down a peg or two. There is no doubt that the lose of such a protagonist will be huge for Germany, so someone else will now have to step to the fore, one person who this might be might be Sebastian Schweinstiger, who has been a mainstay of the team for years now and his experience could prove invaluable more so now, with the lose of Ballack.
Another team that will lament the loss of their star player, and another Chelsea player, is Ghana, who are without missing captain Essien, who, without him, don’t seem somewhat the threat they were to others in the group, although this should be a keenly contested group in itself, with both the other teams having improved since the last world cup in Germany, and all having players capable of winning any match. Germany should progress to the next phase, with maybe Serbia piping Australia and Ghana for the other spot.

Group E
Clear favourites for this group have to be the Dutch, who qualified with ease for the tournament. There is no doubt that when they play football the typical Dutch style with quick counter attacks and flowing passing football, then they are a match for any team on there day, but as always with them, it depends on their mood on the day.
For second place in the group, this can be anyone’s guess, with all teams appearing equally matched, with lots of experience of previous World Cups under their belt, and all of them with players who are capable, on their day, to do that something special so as to win a game. If I had to make a calculated guess then I would say Denmark, but it will be a close call.

Group F
Group F sees the defending champions pitted against what looks on paper a very easy group to progress from, although giving Italy’s form recently and their not so easy qualification for the tournament, this would therefore seem that they might not have things all their own way. This has been said before on numerous occasions, but it has to be stressed that when Italy need to perform they indeed perform, so, all the negative publicity, should be taken like water of a dogs back. The poorish standard of the teams in the groups may have helped them this time, but time will tell, though to progress, I would say near certainties, although, as those who know, nothing is certain in football.
No doubt helped by the decision of the Football Federation Australia to move from the Oceania Football Confederation to the Asian Football Confederation, New Zealand have qualified for their first World Cup since 1982 in Spain, but as in that time, they will have their work cut out, to get any results, with their performance in last years confederation cup a reflection of this.
As expected the second place position will be keenly contested between Paraguay and Slovakia, with the south Americans performance putting them slightly ahead as favourites, in this respect, where they will be hoping that Manchester City misfit Roque Santa Cruz will fire the goals for them, to help them progress to the second round just as they did in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups.
Somewhat unknowns are Slovakia, who have qualified for the first time for a International tournament since breaking up from the old Czechoslovakia. They will be looking for star player Marek Hamsik to lead them to the second round, and should not be underestimated, as the luck of the draw has put them in a weak group.

Group G
Three words can sum up this group – Group of Death. Every major football tournament always has one group where the big boys are drawn together, and this time round, the pot has drawn Brazil, 5 times winner, Ivory Coast, one if not the best African team, North Korea, a team that shouldn’t be underestimated and Portugal which has one of the best players in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo, and who themselves are not a bad team. As is correct, Brazil, in every tournament, rank among the favourites, but this time, will be looking to out in a much better performance than 4 years ago, when the big name players failed to perform, most notably the best player in the world at that time Ronaldinho.

The coach brought in after the disaster of 2006, was Dunga, renowned as a player, but up until then, inexperienced and untried as a coach. First thing that was carried out was to drop those who were deemed to have outgrown their stay, although some saved themselves the pain and retired from International football, greats such as Cafu, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Ze Roberto were among those and focus was diverted to a younger generation of exciting players, such as Fabiano, Kaka, Robinho etc.

One player who wasn’t given the preverbal axe was Ronaldinho, given chances by Dunga to recuperate the form that had eluded him. Dropped after two years of chances, although expected to return this year, after improved form for Milan, Dunga chose not to include him in this squad of 23 for the tournament, as well as another big name given numerous chances by Dunga, Adriano.
Time though has proved Dunga to be correct with Brazil winning the confederations cup, Copa America and qualifying with ease for the World cup. It would be a surprise if they didn’t keep up the trend with a at least a semi-final appearance or maybe winners!
There is no doubt that if the Ivory Coast has all their big guns fit and playing well, then they will be a match for any team on their day. Players such as Drogba, the Toure brothers and Eboue are the lynchpins of the side and have plenty of big game experience throughout their careers playing in big league and domestic games, and all especially Drogba will have need to be on top form, in what looks like a three way competition to progress from to the next round.

Ronaldo like Drogba is the most important player in their respective teams, and there is no doubt, Ronaldo will be looking to overshadow the other great player expected to shine in this tournament, Messi, so this should make an interesting group like this one even more interesting, if it can be that.
One team is missing though, North Korea, and although they may well be significant underdogs, I wouldn’t be surprised if they sprung at least a surprise or two along the way with the element if surprise being a key factor for them, though I would expect Brazil and Portugal to progress, in those respective positions with the encounter between the two looking mouth-watering.

Group H
Group H is the battle of the Spanish speaking countries, with of course the exception of Switzerland. Spain go into the tournament deservedly among the list of favourites because of, in no doubt due to the attractive and productive football they have played within the last four years, with evidence, in that they are the reigning European champions, having defeated Germany 2 years ago.

The list of players at their disposal is countless, with the best team in Spain and for some if Europe and the world providing the nucleus of the squad, with eight players involved. The quality does though not only come from Barcelona, as the team has limitless options from other teams on the bench. Spain’s former tag of underachievers has been extinguished with a new one now in place, ‘favourites’, expect them to do well with at least a semi final or maybe winners, with Xavi, one of their most important players, pulling the strings in midfield, if he pays well, then no doubt the team will play well.
Chile has progressed to the finals after an impressive qualifying performance in the South American section. Somewhat relatively unknowns along with Honduras, the European teams will have to do their research so as not to be taken by surprise. I would expect both of them to be decent technically with the big tackle never shied away from, if Honduras player William Palacios´s performances in the English Premier League are anything to go by. Along with those two teams it looks like it being a three way fight with Switzerland joining Chile and Honduras for second position. Switzerland are by no means a spectacular team, however they are very efficient, without playing spectacular football, but as demonstrated when Inter Milan won the champions league this year, and knocked Barcelona out in the process, beautiful is not always best, although I would expect Spain to easily qualify and Chile to progress with them.

Latter Stages

The ending of the group stages doesn’t however bring to an end the football, it brings a start to what is the most exciting part, the knock out stages, which in itself brings nerves, “dramaticness”, extra time and either love it or loathe it, penalties.

Looking at the draw, what seems for most, the picturesque final, might be at risk, with Brazil and Spain in the same section of the draw, but never say never. England look in a good position as well, and will be looking to break their quarter final jinx where they have met Portugal on many occasions, and Argentina shouldn’t be ruled out, even with their terrible qualifying campaign, and don’t forget the reigning World champions, Italy , as they showed in the last World cup, are more than capable.
Normally when the world cup comes around, one team stands out; that one might think will win. This time however there, there doesn’t seem to be. At a stretch the winner could come from three teams, in my opinion, Brazil, Spain or England, with it being winter in South Africa, this cooler climate might favour the English though if forced I would put my money on Brazil, as there record in recent tournament since the last world cup has been the most impressive, although time will tell, as they say. No doubt there will be many highs and lows over the next month.