Predictions II – The Predictionening

No one asked us to do a second round of predictions. But no one asked us to make the first lot either.

Winners:

Alex Crocker: Favourites are favourites for a reason. It’s their home World Cup; they look in excellent shape; and they are simply Brazil – which is as good enough reason to back them as any. But, this niggle keeps coming back and nothing is getting rid of it. Argentina. They’ve got absurdly talented players who work incredibly well together. The big names are largely the same as 2010, it’s just that they’ve improved. Oh – and Maradona isn’t manager anymore, which is always conducive to any football team that might want to use actual tactics. What better motivation is there for Argentina, than to really upset their biggest rivals at their home World Cup?

Will Donovan: I’m going to have Argentina narrowly edging out Brazil.  It’s pretty close between them, and they’re both sides capable and more than worthy of winning it in any year, but if both top their groups and meet in the final I think it’s going to be edged by the Argentinians.  A stunning array of talent at their peak, and yet there seems to be oddly little pressure on them compared to their great rivals – possibly because if they top their group they could expect arguably the easiest route to the semi final you could hope for in this draw.  A team in light blue and white stripes broke Brazil’s hearts in the final the last time they hosted it… (ok, it wasn’t technically the final. And it turns out they weren’t wearing blue and white stripes then. But I’m too lazy to change my lazy comparison).

Golden boot:

AC: One of those Argentinean lot up the top end of the pitch: Higuaín; Agüero; or Messi. They’re in a group where they really should be able to get some goals. Bosnia, Iran and Nigeria are not bad sides (they did qualify for the World Cup if nothing else), but the gulf in class is probably going to be apparent for all to see. If Argentina ends up winning the whole thing they’ll do it by scoring goals. In the absence of Falcao, Jackson Martínez is Colombia’s biggest goal threat and he’ll get a fair few. Frankly though, it’s all a little bit futile and the Golden Boot winner will be shared between six different players who all scored four goals and it’ll go to a some unselfish player who got a couple of assists as well.

WD: Fewer goals are scored at World Cups every time, and the number of goals which win the Golden Boot comes down too.  Fred will play down the middle for Brazil and should get enough matches to get a good total, but I think this could be wrapped up before the semi finals.  Edin Džeko knows a thing or two about scoring a lot of goals against average sides, and he’s got two chances in the group to do just that.  If France have another of their poor group stages and don’t finish top there’ll be another one in the quarter finals too.  And if they do meet a stronger side, he’s not bad at scoring against them either.  He’s the kind of striker who doesn’t consider his work done after he’s got the first goal, and those easy matches could take him past the five goals that Müller won it with in 2010.  His hold up play could get him the assists which edged the German past the others tied on five.

Golden ball:

AC: Ángel di María is going to outstanding and integral to everything good about Argentina. He’s one of those bizarre players – perennially overlooked because of the esteemed company he keeps. At International level he plays in a team that features Messi, whilst at club level he plays with Cristiano Ronaldo and the world’s most expensive player (Bale). This season (in particular) though, his performances for Madrid have been utterly glorious. He was unquestionably Man of the Match in the Champions League final – and was just sensational during one of the best games of the season, between two of the best club sides in the World (El Clásico). If he plays as well as he can, then he’ll probably be the most important player at the World Cup (whether he gets the credit is another thing). It’s largely dependent on which team has a great tournament, so with this in mind I’m going to suggest Thiago Silva as well. Should Brazil do well (they should) then he’ll be a huge reason why. Imperious is a word that should appear near the Brazilian captain’s name wherever possible. Oh and a mention of Alexis Sánchez – just because.

WD: I’ll back Argentina firmly: if they win it, of course Messi will be the key.  Outside chance of it being Di Maria, who is a much more important player than he sometimes gets credit for.  I’ll also go for Paul Pogba as young player of the tournament: a key player for Juventus is now a key player for France, and if he deals with the pressure (he picked up a very silly red card for two rash tackles in a minute in a 2013 friendly against Spain where he was otherwise excellent) he’s going to shine.

Dark horses:

AC: Fun fact (it’s not fun) – the term dark house originated from horse racing. This is sort of what everyone knew anyway, but it’s nice to have some clarity. Anyway, it’s a vague term when talking about the World Cup which is open to interpretation. Chile could quite realistically win the whole damn thing. They appear geared up to qualify from what appears to be the most difficult group – and then who knows? The second round could conceivably see them facing Brazil and if they were to win that, going all the way really isn’t that far beyond them. They have an incredibly attacking side with some outstanding players (most notably Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sánchez) and crucially – are an incredibly cohesive outfit.

WD: As a bit of an outside bet: France.  A side who have underperformed with the great players they’ve had in the last few tournaments, they still have a lot of great players (some with experience, some just coming through) and played very well in parts of qualifying.  In between the parts where they weren’t playing particularly well.  They’ve a good coach who has a few different ideas of how to play, they have no obvious weak areas in the squad, and they’ve got rid of the two players you’d most like to punch in the face if you were confident you’d get away with it.  They’ve got a chance of not only avoiding completely humiliating themselves, but of quite a strong showing.

Surprise package:

AC:  Switzerland and Colombia could really get quite far this year and either side could quite realistically make it all the way to the Semi Final stage (although the Quarters are most likely). Both have reasonable groups from which they should progress and potentially reasonable fixtures in the second round. Colombia finished second in the CONMEBOL qualifying only to Argentina and Switzerland went through their UEFA qualifying group undefeated. Qualifying isn’t the be all and end all, but hell – it’s hugely indicative of two very good sides.

WD: Colombia, who qualified brilliantly and have plenty of striking talent to replace the injured Falcao.  They don’t seem to have been talked about very much, but the draw’s set up with the potential for an impressive march to the quarter finals, where they’ll face a big side and either go home with their heads held high or be the most surprising South American side in the semis.

Biggest disappointment (player and team):

AC: Netherlands will probably get knocked out in the Group Stages or the Second Round should they make it that far. However, given the- entirely understandable – hype surrounding Belgium, should they be knocked out in the Second Round that would probably be a disappointment. The most disappointing player will be Rooney. The biggest disappointment has to be the absence of some of the world’s best players for various reasons: Reus; Ibrahimović; Ribéry; Mario Gómez; Falcao… It’s all very sad and pessimistic, but the word disappointment is inherently downbeat.

WD: It’s a dull answer, but after France and Italy collapsed so spectacularly last time, and the Netherlands failed in the groups in Euro 2012, I don’t think there’s going to be such a major side to disappoint their fans this year.  With their key players past their peak or recovering from exhausting seasons, I can’t see Ivory Coast (or Cote D’Ivoire if you’re reading this from behind a moustache) performing well, and I do wonder whether Japan could sneak past them to make this another World Cup where they don’t get through the group.  Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba would thus be obvious candidates to disappoint, but I’ll go for Diego Costa.  Coming back from injury and playing a very difficult role up front for a side who don’t create many chances for forwards or even score many goals may mean he becomes a scapegoat for Spain failing to defend their title.

Who’ll play their way into a big move:

AC: Back in 2010, there seemed like any number of players who could seize the opportunity on the big stage. And hell, some of them did. This time around it kind of feels like all the new stars are already at the big clubs. Ricardo Rodríguez of Switzerland could probably move to somewhere bigger than Wolfsburg – but that’s probably due to a pressing need for top level fullbacks in world football. Eduardo Vargas of Chile could shine and start to push his name closer to Vidal and Sánchez as one of Chile’s world class players. Jackson Martínez is probably the player most likely to get the big move, but it’ll be mostly because of his excellent record for Porto the last couple of years.

WD: The vanishing spray to stop players encroaching at free kicks will make a move into Europe, despite tediously baffling every commentator who sees it.  I’ve been wanting this to be introduced over here since they brought it in for the Argentinian leagues a few years ago.  The human transfers won’t be big surprises, it’ll be two players who have been mentioned in gossip for some time.  Jackson Martìnez will fill the Falcao-shaped hole up front for Columbia very well, and will prove just as capable of scoring quite a lot of goals.  He’s 27, prime “last chance for a big move” age, and this could well be the moment one of the clubs perennially linked with him takes his barrel full of goals away from Porto.  Antoine Griezmann has just found out he’ll have to step up to fill Frank Ribéry’s left wing spot for France, but he’s got plenty of talent to do this and chip in with a few goals as well.  At 23, whoever makes a move for him will get the best years from a superbly talented winger.

Which of the superstars will impress the most:

AC: Cristiano Ronaldo will most likely be incredible, but Portugal will fall short reasonably early on. Neymar and Messi will be pretty damn good, but they’ll go much further.

WD: Oh I’ve already said Messi will be player of the tournament, what a waste of perfectly good content.  Can I interest you in yet another a rant about how Rooney will do very little except upset the balance of England’s squad?

Potential upsets:

AC: If Netherlands get knocked out in the Group Stage, that’s an upset yeah? Oh, and Iran could end up getting a point. They’ve got that whole “frustrating team” schtick going for them, but any decent result they get is going to be a surprise.

WD: Chile have more than enough potential to upset their group and put either Spain or the Netherlands out.  Croatia ran Spain very close in Euro 2012, and if they met in the second round I could see a win for the Croatian diminutive, technically gifted, passing midfielders over the Spanish diminutive, technically gifted, passing midfielders.  Basically, someone might beat Spain in a tournament, and that is fairly surprising.

How will England do?:

AC: If England get out of the group then I think everyone can agree it’s a job well done, pat themselves on the back, dust themselves down and be home in time to watch the final at home. There’s a nice balance in the team and there seems to be a nice spirit going on. Expectations are low, the players are fresh and exciting and honestly, it just feels right. Not one person could honestly say that England are a better side than Spain, Argentina or Germany. But in a single game, England can beat any one of them. That’s just how football works. So, England will probably reach the Second Round or the Quarter Finals. Probably. Nothing would be a surprise.

WD: A new question for this year, and one I’m already regretting even before I’ve really gathered the fact that I’ve added it.  There’s enough talent in England to do really well, few players who have been tarnished by previous repeated failures, but still enough players who have been at tournaments before to not make this squad seem terrifyingly inexperienced.  We’ve a manager who can get the best out of the squad – which means being hard to beat but also able to score, rather than being all out attacking with constant sublime passing.  We have a decent chance of getting out of the group, and there isn’t a single side in the tournament I’d say we couldn’t beat if we played our plans perfectly and got a bit of luck.  I don’t anticipate great things, but I do expect a bit of promise, and this could be a couple of weeks looked back on as fondly as 1990.

Semi finals:

AC: Brazil vs Germany, Spain vs Argentina. This about as close to just plucking four names out of a hat as one can get. Germany could easily read as Switzerland if the World Cup’s odd habit of throwing in a surprise name continues. But these are probably the four best teams going to the World Cup and they are most likely to be the four teams left at this stage.

WD: Brazil vs Germany, Colombia vs Argentina.  It’s been a while since it was tested, but I think European sides not doing well in South America means the local nations will edge out a couple of sides who could run them close (France, Croatia).  I’ve also found out that this could only happen if Colombia finish second in their group, but I’m too confused to change it now.

Failure is a Dish Best Served Lukewarm

The dust has settled, the medals have been presented and the World Cup is over. Four more years of waiting until the anticipation, the build up and inevitably the disappointment returns. South Africa 2010 was the tournament of teams, not of players. Success was built upon organisation, self belief and teamwork. The Dutch wriggling their way to the final despite a fairly poor defence and the Spanish doing enough to win every game; both doing so through cohesion and organisation and both with the formation that was so prevalent throughout – the 4-2-3-1.

The individuals that the media hyped up to levels befitting of the moon landing struggled to make their mark and the sponsors set themselves up for a fall. It is well known of course that Nike’s infamous advert “write the future” featured players who all failed to impress (or in one case even make the squad – Ronaldinho).

The four players most hyped however; Rooney, Messi, Ronaldo and Kaka, all were poor, different reasons for each but perhaps the biggest cause is that of hype.

Rooney

First and foremost, England’s hopes were placed squarely on the lad from Kirby’s shoulders and the burden of expectation fell on him. A poorly organised team; which looked lethargic and devoid of ideas, were summed up best by Rooney’s performances in SA. 4-4-2 failed to bring out the best in Rooney, a formation he has rarely, if ever played. Heskey brought in to bring out the best in Rooney failed to work and essentially the hustling bustling tricky bullish forward many expected was drained, ineffective and – bluntly put – poor. Both tactically not given the best chance to shine, he probably wouldn’t have been much better had he been in a role more suited to him.

Kaka

Unlike Rooney there is a much clearer and more concise reason that Kaka was disappointing. Fitness. Whilst still achieving a total of 3 assists (joint top at the World Cup) his performances lacked the drive and verve he has lacked for over a year as the Brazil fitness coach openly admits he simply isn’t fit enough. At the World Cup, you don’t do things by halves.

Ronaldo

Portugal don’t score, it’s been that way for a long time now. The Brazil v Portugal game was supposed to be a thriller according to the media, although this simply was based upon stereotypes and a lack of research. The demolition of North Korea was a fluke and one that only happened as the Koreans after putting in a performance worthy of the World Cup against Brazil forgot how to play football and allowed the Iberians to run riot. Ronaldo still only got one goal, his first in well over a year for the international side. Playing out wide and without the support given at club level for both United and Madrid Ronaldo was never in a position to ignite the tournament and coming up against Spain in the second round meant he had few games to state his case. Most worryingly was the general consensus that during Portugal’s opener against the Ivory Coast the general public discussed his shot that cannoned off the post as amazing. A shot that didn’t go in – that was what people were talking about. A nearly goal, a not quite, a nothing. Delivering a superb performance against a truly abysmal North Korean side was about all Ronaldo could muster up in SA and it’s not really that surprising.

Messi

Nominated for the Golden Ball, part of a very exciting Argentina side and according to the media, a series of eye catching displays. No. Messi wasn’t great, he by no means deserved to be nominated for the Golden Ball and at no point was he close to showing his ability which is so widely touted as the best in the world (which is not in dispute as he probably is). Fawning over Messi was part of the criteria for pundits and grew old very quickly. No goals form a man who scored 34 in the league for Barca during the season doesn’t do the man justice. What was noticeable was Maradona’s sudden change from a stagnant 4-4-2 to a much more flexible 4-3-3 with Messi at the heart of it. He was more lively and more involved than during qualification and friendlies before hand but still unable to make his mark.

The end of the indivudal

Four players, who were lukewarm. Four players whose sides flattered to deceive and were dumped out unceremoniously by teams whose team efforts far exceeded any individual performance.  Those players who did shine, were all members of teams who looked good from back to front, not in one area. The death of the media hyper of individuals? One can hope…

Cult Heroes Born From a Cult Nation

North Korea lose only 2-1 to Brazil in a shock result. That was the general consensus; well the general consensus was wrong. North Korea are an incredibly well organised team who can defend if their lives depend upon it (which according to some more right wing types is actually the case). It can largely be accepted the World Cup so far hasn’t exactly set the world alight. Games have been dominated by negative play, poor tactical nous and pretty dire performances from some of the world’s best. Germany aside we haven’t seen any nation take a game and show us what they are capable of and before the New Zealand game we hadn’t had the drama that captures imagination, and even that game for around 90 minutes wasn’t exactly one that makes you sit up and realise that this is the greatest competition in the world.

Joga Bonito isn’t dead, it never exisited

Brazil are now a very well organised, functional unit who still have their moments of fantastic flowing football but these days they are a side without the personalities and are a “team”. Many have pointed to the samba spirit being remise and the true Brazilian art form of football being dead, but simply put; the egos got in the way and if Brazil wanted results (which are expected from the most successful nation of all time) they would have to adapt. Dunga has got Brazil playing a functional and free flowing system that is interesting to watch and still offers the moments of excitement that many expect from a Brazilian side. They won’t go out and win games by four or five goals, but they will win games. Club form goes out the window for Dunga as well, if you fit his system and play well for him, that’s good enough. Robinho is perhaps the most obvious example of this, thriving in his role as the key creative outlet on the left.

The Underdogs? 

North Korea on the other hand, ranked a lowly 105^th in the world, many gave them no chance. But why not?! Just because we haven’t been exposed to them much is no reason to assume they are dreadful. They are well drilled outfit playing a formation resembling a 3-5-2 and every player will press and double up on attacking player because of their high defensive numbers. Whilst up front they have genuine quality in Jong Tae Se (The Asian Wayne Rooney) who is a real talent on and off the ball. The most interesting aspect of the side is that for a team so defensively orientated they really can have a go at attacking on the break.

2000/1 means nothing

In the game against Brazil, North Korea were quite frankly superb. Their pressing frustrated Kaka, Robinho et al and on the break there was a real look of danger from Jong Tae Se, who before the game even began etched his name into World Cup folklore crying during the national anthem in a moment that screamed to the footballer inside of us all. The frantic defending and tackling was as far as defensive play goes, thoroughly entertaining and the backs to the wall 2000/1 World Cup hopeful’s style clearly endeared them to the public. The shut of nation suddenly becoming the one everyone wanted to do well, such is the underdog story.

In truth a match against Brazil wasn’t the best way to open their World Cup and had they featured in another group, or even started against Portugal or Ivory Coast we’d perhaps be talking about North Korea’s first point or even victory at this World Cup. They were undone in the end by a marauding Maicon (once again underlying the value of a top class fullback) and one of the most beautiful passes we are likely to see this summer. When they did grab a consolation goal, it was fully deserved and perhaps a little disappointing it came so late. The final whistle had many wondering why they weren’t celebrating, clearly forgetting they had in fact lost the game, such was the brilliant performance from North Korea. A team who displayed more class, guile, organisation and spirit than the large bulk of the teams we’ve seen so far. This was the game the World Cup needed to get it going and this is the game that epitomises what it’s all about. Now if they can get something off of Portugal or Ivory Coast we may be talking about North Korea for a long time to come.

Style Over Substance; How About Both?

 Ze Germans – if we are going to follow the social protocol when referring to the German National Football team – are an efficient bunch. Efficient, reliable, professional, well organised and proficient, just a few of the words typically used when describing them. Yesterday however a superb performance against an admittedly lacklustre Australia showed what else they are capable of. Four goals without reply, four excellent goals that frankly could have been even more highlighted the real class underlying the Germans.

It’s taken 3 days and a few pretty awful games (I am looking at you France and Algeria) but the first game that’s made anyone sit up and notice that there really is a World Cup going on and not a few casual friendlies. Germany to put it quite simply, tore Australia apart. Klose and Podolski putting poor domestic seasons behind them and continuing to prove at the biggest stage of them all, there are few better. Klose has now scored at 3 successive World Cups and one suspects he’ll probably grab one or two more before the tournament is out, currently 49 goals to 97 caps at international level. Podolski similarly maintaining his ridiculous goal scoring record for the national side; 39 from 74.

The Star of the show

Yesterday however saw another stand out in the side above all others; Mesut Özil. The half Turkish playmaker currently at Werder Bremen is probably not on many peoples radars but has had an outstanding season in the Bundesliga. Yesterday was his announcement on the biggest stage of them all. Profiting indirectly from Ballack’s injury he has seen his stock rise in Germany and playing directly behind Klose was at the heart of pretty much everything good about Germany yesterday. He’s a tricky player, excellent with the ball at his feet, fantastic off the ball and was the instigator or some of the best passing moves at the World Cup so far. Countless times yesterday Özil was making passes that Xavi would be proud of and driving Germany forward with some energetic runs both on and off the ball. Involved in the build up to pretty much every chance Germany had yesterday he ran the show and it was without a doubt the best individual performance so far at the World Cup. In fact if he can work on his first touch (which let him down a couple of times, particularly when through on goal) he could be in with a shout of the Golden Ball.

Winners?

Now it would be too early to state that a performance like that will win them the tournament, in fact that would be blindly idiotic. However odds shrunk from 14/1 to 9/1 immediately after the match, although I suspect that the gambling public had no idea that Germany were actually quite good until yesterday. It’s odd to think that they weren’t one of the favourites going into the tournament with an outstanding team on paper and the well publicised (and fairly accurate) knowledge that they will almost always do well regardless of how good they really are. But anyway one game against a pretty dreadful Australia that saw them run riot is enough to convince those that have bet against them – apparently. This German side, can however win it, they really are that good.

Efficiency is one thing, but it is another to do it with style and verve. But that is exactly what happened yesterday. Sublime passes, fantastic runs and clinical finishing all present as was the flair befitting of a South American side. Every one of the players featuring yesterday for Germany was happy on the ball and always wanted to drive forward, none more so than the ever present Lahm, who was ahead of Thomas Mueller on the right an alahming (hey, if the pundits are allowed to make stupid puns and get paid for it, I should be allowed to as well) number of times, such was the captains desire to get involved in the attacks which became so frequent. The importance of the attacking full back highlighted by him in this match absolutely running Chipperfield ragged. To be fair, there are no glaring weaknesses in the German side and it will be captivating to see how they cope against the most organised African nation at the World Cup; Ghana.

Right now I’m off to go and practice making questionable comments about Germany, therefore allowing me to really enjoy this fantastic German side without getting abuse in pubs.

We’d Rather Be Damocles Than Dionysius: Denmark, 1992 Was Only 18 Years Ago

The tournament may be underway, but there’s still a chance to preview another of the sides that will hope to fly under the radar and navigate their way through their group and shimmy past more illustrious opponents. The underdogs for this time are the only representative from Scandinavia; Denmark.

Denmark

Form for this: Failed to qualify for Euro 2008 and the World Cup four years ago. Last appearance at a major tournament was 2004 where they progressed through to the quarter finals before coming up against a wonderful Czech side.

Why they’ll get through: They won their qualification group which featured Portugal, Sweden and Hungary forcing Portugal to settle for the playoffs, a qualification group that was arguably the most challenging of the 9. Their group at the world cup, whilst not being easy by any stretch of the imagination is not “the group of death”. Few would expect them to finish ahead of the Netherlands but Japan and a Cameroon side that is all too reliant on Eto’o should be teams the Danish can get the better of. And if things go their way the second round could be even easier than their group.

The side itself features players representing some top sides in each of Europes top leagues but has no obvious world class players. Tomasson, Rommedahl, Gronkjaer and Jorgensen are still around and doing the business for the national side and will have a wealth of experience to draw from. The centre back pairing of Kjaer and Agger is one that could easily feature for any top side in Europe. Both are excellent on the ball for defenders (capable of more than no-nonsense defending) and well disciplined players. Kjaer has had an outstanding season for Palermo and has drawn the attention of numerous top clubs and Agger is widely accepted as one of the few good things at Liverpool these days. Denmark can simply play the ball from the back all the way to the front unlike many of the other nations at the World Cup. Up front they have a maverick in the form of Bendtner who frustrates Arsenal fans consistently with, well – his inconsistency, but is capable of rubbing shoulders with the worlds best on his day. Aside from anything else, they are well organised, well managed and have enough quality to at least enter the knockout stages (something they have never failed to do when at the World Cup).

Why they’ll crash out: They lack that little extra. The absence of a genuine world class talent is something that sticks out when looking at the Danish. A well balanced and rounded team they are but should they come up against a real talent they may be found wanting. Cameroon have Eto’o, the Netherlands have a number that can be classed as World Class, the Danish have… Bendtner, who will rank himself as a world beater, but he is in the minority. In addition those listed as being experienced; Tomasson, Rommedahl, Gronkjaer and Jorgensen are all past their best and long gone are the days at Milan, dominating the Dutch leagues in an excellent PSV side, flying down the wing for Chelsea and being the creative spark for Fiorentina. The pace that some of them once relied on has gone and now they are just ageing names. Their group is difficult and if they aren’t at their best then they could and probably would go out without so much as a whimper.

Prediction: The second round is probably the end of their journey but progressing from their group would have to be a success nonetheless. But should they avoid Italy then there’s no reason a quarter final spot isn’t beyond them.

Predictions (Insert Amusing or Clever Title Here)

The  Vuvuzela View as many of you may well be aware is written by two. Two mere mortals whose opinion is thrased out and splashed out across the world wide web for all to see. Whilst it’s safe to say we largely agree with one another our views can conflict at times and sometimes it’s just nice to have healthy competition in the camp. With this in mind we have racked our brains and gone for the bold options for some of the important issues surrounding the World Cup.

Whether you agree or not with us; as always is up for debate…

Winners:

Alex Crocker: If I’m pushed, which I’m fairly certain is the point of this article and therefore is happening; Germany. There’s something there, there is little expectation and the old adage of “you can never write off the Germans” is ringing in my ear. With key players out and uncertainty surrounding the manager, so what? The way I look at it, they’ve got a top quality side, a well respected tactical manager and none of the pressure expected of the others.

Will Donovan: Oh it’s bloody Spain isn’t it. No they didn’t win the Confederations Cup, but that was because they couldn’t extend their winning streak to 16 games. Or their unbeaten streak to 35. They’re the favourites for a reason, and it’s an obvious answer but it would be a major shock to see them lose to anyone, unless it’s because they’re utterly knackered from how much brilliant football they’ve had to play this year.

Golden boot:

AC: Whilst it’s hard to look past the obvious players I’m going to be slightly outlandish. Bar Villa grabbing seventy-six in the group stages I shall punt for another; Gilardino of Italy. A player who’s shown his worth at Fiorentina, and is under the radar. Schillaci did it before and Klose did it as well, so Gilardino.

WD: David Villa, even if Spain don’t win the thing he could have it more or less wrapped up with plenty of goals during the group stage. I’m off to cry for being so bloody obvious.

Golden ball:

AC: De Rossi. I’ve got a feeling he may dominate games for the Azzurri. De Rossi is a big game player who tarred his own World Cup in 2006, with a needless elbow to McBride that ruled him out for pretty much the entire tournament (and if I’m being honest made me hate him a little). Making up for lost time and perhaps doing so by taking on the World’s best as Italy are likely to have a difficult route on the way to the final should they get there.

WD: Xavi. Simply, the best central midfielder in the world. Some of his passes this season have been the best things I’ve ever seen done with a football (see both goals away against Real Madrid and Messi’s winner against Malaga).

Dark horses:

AC: Well on the basis I’ve already plumped for Germany to win the whole thing, I will select my other tip for the World Cup; Italy. Underperforming and lacking that backs against the walls attitude that saw them succeed in 2006, the defending champions have got a lot to live up to. But interestingly they also – don’t. With the burden of responsibility on Spain, Brazil, Argentina and co, Italy have been largely ignored. World class players from back to front Italy could quite easily go all the way.

WD: Netherlands. The fifth favourites on a popular betting sites (not named in case any others want to contact us for lucrative sponsorship deals), but they just don’t seem to be getting much mention. Perhaps not the best defence, though it will be fine if organised well, but even the loss of Robben wouldn’t be a disaster when you could still have a front four from Kuyt, Van Persie, Sneijder, Babel and Huntelaar. With such strong favourites it can be easy to forget other big sides, but if Spain can overcome their tag of perennial underachievers, why can’t the Dutch?

Surprise package:

AC: Denmark. A solid outfit defensively that offers a little more than many other typically defensive sides. Qualified ahead of Sweden and Portugal, which tells its own story and have perhaps a group that could see them progress. And if they were to nick something off of the Netherlands could meet a team from one of the weakest groups at South Africa. The only stumbling block could be a meet and greet with the Italians.

WD: Mexico. Well organised, playing very well in friendlies (as England found out), and were they to meet again in the quarter finals a similar performance could well break our hearts for another four years.

Biggest disappointment (player and team):

AC: Ronaldo is pretty much queued up ready for this title. An odd and surprisingly lackluster Portugal outfit when going forward will not help his case and being the world’s most expensive player only sees him play with the sword of Damocles above his head. Hasn’t done it for Portugal for a while now, and I can’t see it changing. With regards to the team; Spain seem to strike me as the team that will fall. So much expectation and so much class. They are brilliant, you’d be a fool to ignore that. But that’s precisely why they won’t win it, and anything less than winning it has to be a disappointment. Their potential battle with perennial rivals Italy could see them crash out once again (perhaps not dissimilar to the Barca v Inter game we witness earlier this year)

WD: Ronaldo will struggle to make an impact from a wide position where he isn’t as effective, and his urge to win single-handedly when Portugal struggle could make him a high profile flop. For the team, Italy. Won’t do anything particularly bad, and barring a major shock will reach the quarter finals, but I don’t see the holders being able to put together a real defence of their trophy, and that’s always a real disappointment.

Who’ll play their way into a big move:

AC: There’s a few, so for the purpose of keeping it short I’ll crack on with two. Angel De Maria of Argentina currently at Benfica. Maradona says he is their next legend and he doesn’t look to be wrong. A superb season has seen Europe’s finest take note and the De Maria will most likely assume the role of playmaker in a hugely talented Argentina side, a big move is not far away. The other is another creative playmaker at a smaller “big” European outfit; Mesut Özil is the one who’ll make the Germans tick and with Ballack out, it’s his time to shine. He’s young, he’s more than capable and could be huge.

WD: Steven Pienaar’s already linked with a move to other Premiership clubs, he’s on a free and at 28 could be looking at his last chance for a big contract – though he’s already high profile, this could further alert clubs in Europe to his performances. Germany have a promising squad of young players: big clubs will be linked to Germany’s Thomas Müller who’ll shine and had a fantastic season, but he won’t leave Bayern. More likely would be Werder Bremen’s star midfielder Mesut Özil.

Which of the superstars will impress the most:

AC: Of the four that are widley dubbed “the best”: Rooney, Ronaldo, Kaka and Messi, only one will shine. Wayne Rooney is that man. An England outfit with players in the team specifically to get the best out of him should see that happen. Coming off the back of his best season (in terms of goals at least) and United finally making him star of the show can only benefit England. All of the others have either had weak seasons (Kaka) or aren’t given the same role for the nation (Messi and Ronaldo) that will see them struggle. Remember the name – Wayne Rooney, ahh the days…

WD: Without a decent system around him, Messi is going to struggle to shine – though this would be more Maradonna’s fault than the Barcelona man’s. Ronaldo gets farmed wide for Portugal, Kaka’s coming off a weak season and if he falls short then Brazil will really lack a creative spark. So damn it all, I’m going for Rooney. The system of playing off Heskey and combining with Gerrard works for him, and he can still score from a slightly deeper lying position instead of as an out and out forward as he was for United this season. Let’s just hope…

Potential upsets:

AC: North Korea are going to pick up something at some point. I’ve just got a feeling. Whilst any defeat to France in the group stage wouldn’t really be an upset with Mexico, South Africa and Uruguay all having enough reason to state they can beat them.

WD: I’ve stuck a sly couple of quid on Portugal to draw with North Korea. Portugal have struggled against defensive sides recently, and I reckon they could underestimate their mysterious opponents.

Semi finals:

AC: England vs Brazil, Germany vs Italy. You’ll notice no Spain in there… that’s about as bold as I can get. However England are there using logic, not just blind faith. An easy run in should see them into the Semi’s. The other side of the draw seeing Germany, Argentina, Spain, Italy, Netherlands and Portugal all in the mix, making it a much tougher call.

WD: England vs Brazil, Germany vs Spain. I really wish I had more surprising predictions. But a mix of hope and not seeing where the strong teams will face major challenges means I think it’ll be the obvious choices.

How The Mighty Might Fall: Germany, a Tournament Too Soon?

Germany

Form for this: Third place (as hosts) last time, runners up in 2002. Never failed to reach the quarter finals since reunification. A poor performance would be a real shock.

Why they’ll crash out: Joachim Löw has proven himself to be a top coach in the role, but a series of rows with the German FA over his new contract earlier in the season could leave a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the squad.  Luckily he now has a contract which extends beyond the quarter finals, but after the tournament he may have burnt too many bridges for a coach who already attracts negative press attention second only to whomever the English tabloids blame for ‘our lionhearted heroes’ going out this time.  This is a very young squad, with only three players over 30, and inexperience could be a weakness. Up front they could be found lacking: Miroslav Klose has scored just three league goals in 25 appearances for Bayern Munich all season, Mario Gòmes scoring an only slightly more respectable 10 in his first season at the same club, Lukas Podolski appears to be lazily squandering the talent he was so hotly tipped for at the last tournament, Cacau is in decent form for Stuttgart but has only eight caps and two of his three international goals came against Malta, with Thomas Müller even less experienced and a deeper lying player in any case. The absence of captain and talisman Michael Ballack means the usual heart of the team is missing – probably bigger news for them than were, heaven forbid, Steven Gerrard, to be ruled out for England.

Why they’ll get through: Löw’s already shown by coming runner up to a phenomenal Spain in Euro 2008 that he’s a great manager, and he appears focussed on the job in hand. There doesn’t appear to be any rift between players and coach, which would be the real undoing (see France), and qualification was managed without defeat – so the arguments at the top probably won’t really impact the team.  The youth of the squad doesn’t mean they haven’t done all this before: it’s easy to forget that players like Bastian Schweinsteiger, Per Mertesacker and Philipp Lahm are only 25 or 26 having each amassed well over 60 caps and starred in three tournaments already. Lahm becoming captain with Schweinsteiger his deputy raised eyebrows, but they are practically the elder statesmen of the side, and are playing fantastic football at Bayern. The new generation of players currently coming through the ranks like Thomas Müller, Mesut Özil, Arne Friedrich and Jérôme Boateng look good enough to be a dominant force in world football for some time to come, and this is a great place for them to announce themselves on that stage. Although that’s what many said about Podolski… For all the lack of goals he and Klose have suffered domestically, they scored six and seven respectively in qualifying, and were the two top scorers on home soil four years ago.  They and the spine of the team come from Bayern Munich, giving a familiarity between many of the players already, useful in a side who are suffering from injuries.  And it shouldn’t be forgotten that seven of the team played in the Champion’s League final, including the young Müller and Badstuber. Group D isn’t the easiest in the tournament, but Serbia, Ghana and Australia shouldn’t pose massive obstacles to overcome and they should comfortably finish top, although the difficulty could begin against England or the USA in the second round – both potentially strong sides.

Prediction: Would be a massive shock to exit in the group stage, but for all the youth and the lack of goals there’s a lot of talent and a very good manager to see them through.  Topping the group could lead to a very tough game and perhaps an early exit for a side who are considered outside contenders for the main prize.  If they are to crash out, it will most likely be the fault of their experienced but potentially toothless strikeforce.

We’d Rather Be Damocles Than Dionysius: Mexico, World Cup Wonders?

On the other side of the fence to the big sides, we’ve got the nations who no-one expects anything from. The underdogs, the David’s, the un-fancied, the Chuck Wepners if you will. Or in the case of this; Mexico. Ridiculed and abused for years, Mexico have been the butt of jokes in all variety of media sources for as long as I can remember. But whilst the sword of Damocles hangs over the favourites the Mexicans at least can just get down to business and see what happens, even enjoying themselves on the way.

The Mexicans are an interesting side with an interesting story and some interesting players. So I’ll try not to bore you as we discuss  how they aren’t that bad and at least worth looking at.

Mexico

Form for this: Knocked out in the Round of 16 to a wonder strike from Argentina’s Maxi Rodríguez in extra time saw their run end in 2006. But winning the CONCACAF Championship in 2009 and defeating their biggest rivals 5-0 in the final is a nice confidence booster (I shall gloss neatly over the fact that the US had a second string side out.)

Why they’ll get through: A lot was made of England’s recent struggle against them, Italy fell to them and they put in a very decent shift against the Dutch all of which lends itself to one thing; the Mexicans are pretty damn good. They’ve got an incredibly tactically astute manager in Javier Aguirre getting them to play very neat, tidy and aesthetically pleasing football. Anyone who witnessed the England game can testify that at times, their build up play and one touch football was superb. Excellent at holding the ball and playing around with it, they are a far cry from the underdogs who hit on the counter and hope for the best. Mexico have a few very exciting players in their side. Firstly there is Guardado, arguably their best player (who didn’t play in that England game) whom as well as being blessed with pace is also pretty decent with a ball at his feet. Carlos Vela and Dos Santos are names that familiar to Arsenal and Tottenham fans and whilst both have yet to really make their mark at club level, both are already experienced international players. They have big strong strikers to lead the line in Blanco and Franco allowing the trickier smaller players to operate around them. Marquez will be patrolling the back as part of the 3 man defence moving forward and striding into midfield. Being extremely accomplished on the ball this gives the Central Americans that extra dimension to their play that will perhaps catch more rigid teams off guard.

Mexico also have an interesting group; with the host nation, whom usually rise to the occasion regardless of their position in world football, Uruguay, a nation whom they would perhaps consider their equal on the international stage, and lastly France, perhaps the laughing stock of the big nations. It’s a group that the Mexicans can play their way out of, and should they do so there’s the prospect of the unpredictable Argentineans again in the second round or a challenge in South Korea, Nigeria or Greece. Again, all of whom Mexico can beat. In truth the system Mexico operate with will be their biggest strength. Players who are willing to adapt for their manager and play how he wants, exploring an exciting formation and approach to the game

Why they’ll crash out: Whilst we ridicule and berate France frequently at The Vuvuzela View, they could always rise to the challenge and surprise us all. Domenech could be fooling us all and simply deflecting pressure away from his team (although one suspects he is in fact just a moron). Nonetheless, the French have world class players in their ranks, Uruguay do also; in Forlan and the stupidly prolific Suarez, and South Africa no matter how poor they are, are hosting the World Cup, which will inevitably give them some lift. Mexico lack any real world class players in their side; Marquez aside and whilst the system works very well for them they struggle to get an end product.

None of their attacking players are particularly prolific and they appear to lack that cutting edge that is necessary at the top level. Franco is not renowned for having an excellent goal scoring return and Hernández (who recently joined United) is maybe too soon into his career to really judge. Dos Santos and Vela have both been touted as potential world beaters but as of yet have not shown just how good they can be. Efficient and tricky yes, but Dos Santos was the next in line to Messi at Barca, whilst Vela is one of the players on the conveyor belt of youth production that is Arsenal. Stepping up to the big stage is something they can both do but haven’t as of yet. This lack in genuine world class talent could be their undoing.

Prediction: To progress through to the second round at least and baring meeting Argentina could even get as far as the Semi finals if they can add goals to their play. That said, the quarter finals should see the end of their adventure meeting one of the bigger nations and it’s a nice target to have.

How The Mighty Might Fall: Portugal, Group of Death’s Casualties?

Continuing our look at the big sides who might struggle this year, it’s the turn of the nation who have put England out of their last two tournaments, who have the world’s most expensive player, and who might not survive the group stage.

Portugal

Form for this: Semi-finalists in Germany, but failed to get out of the group stage in 2002.

Why they’ll crash out: There’s got to be a casualty in the tournament’s traditional Group of Death. Bookie’s second favourites Brazil would be a real shock because it’s highly unlikely, Ivory Coast might not count as a massive surprise after a weak Cup of Nations and Drogba’s fitness in doubt, but surely it would be a big headline for the world’s most expensive player to exit in the group stage. Manager Carlos Quieroz has proven himself as a great assistant, but is yet to achieve success as a first team coach in a big job. Weak in qualifying and needed a 2-0 play-off win over Bosnia and Herzegovina to reach the tournament, plus an embarrassing goalless draw against Cape Verde islands last month, they don’t look too hot at the moment. They’ve found it hard to break down defensive sides, and that might well be a strength of North Korea, as well as a more counter-attacking Brazilian side. Centre forward Liédson has just nine caps and three international goals: not a terrible return, but hardly the necessary experience to lead the line in vital games. Their best player could be their undoing: when Ronaldo decides he has to do everything himself he can nullify his own threat as well as weakening the rest of the team, as shown when he decided to take on Barcelona single handedly and came up empty handed. Deco’s poor form since moving to Chelsea means the midfield lacks its usual creative spark. Inexperience in goal could be an issue – the three ‘keepers have just 17 caps between them. While 14 belong to the decent Eduardo, first choice for over a year now, he lacks tournament experience. Injury to him would throw an unknown quantity into a very high pressure mix. And he’s costing us all a cheap laugh, having forced Quim out of the side.

Why they’ll get through: The team who would take their place, Ivory Coast, might have lost their talismanic main man. And Ronaldo’s skill could well create single handed glory and goals instead of frustrating – though it might mean he requires a more central role which he has become accustomed to at Real Madrid rather than the wide position he has taken up under his mentor Quieroz. The defence isn’t too shabby despite the injury to Jose Bosingwa, covered by his deputy at Chelsea Paulo Ferreira. Ricardo Carvalho might not have looked as solid for Chelsea this season, but still forms a strong partnership with Bruno Alves, while Real Madrid’s Pepe could always drop in having recovered from injury, though he is listed as a midfielder and could well feature in a holding role. Thrashing a decent Cameroon side might well be a good response, and a better indication of their play against quality opposition, after the embarrassing draw against Cape Verde. In Ronaldo and Simão they possess quality, if slightly mercurial, wide forwards who – on form – would be the envy of most nations.  Nani would have been another plus point, but now his injury counts against their chances.

Prediction: Much tougher call if Drogba is absent, but still look weak enough to slump out. Unless they win the group, even qualification would most likely see them play Spain in the second round, so it would take a real surprise to see them reach the quarter finals.

How The Mighty Might Fall: France, 2002 or 2006?

It might be a British thing, looking to tear down the great, but we all love it when one of the traditional big nations crashes out early on. How we tut and berate the coach who can’t see the better systems so obvious from the armchair as one of them is seen limping out at the group stage, or crashing out to the tournament’s surprise package in the first knockout.  After our look at Argentina – for whom anything could happen – The Vuvuzela View looks at the teams who aren’t looking like the world beaters they can be coming into the tournament, starting with France.

Form for this: Shock exit in 2002 when defeat in the first game against Senegal sparked an awful group stage, the holders exiting without scoring a single goal. Made up for it in 2006 by reaching the final, though began group stage unconvincingly, winning only once to scrape through.

Why they’ll crash out: In a name: Raymond Domenech. The coach’s maverick decisions have brought criticism and ridicule, even from his own players. Notoriously admitted to distrusting Scorpios and leaving them out of his squads on little other grounds, he could be laughed out of managing a pub team. The goal which took them to the finals is almost as notorious as the headbutt which closed their last tournament, but being poor in qualifying and struggling against Ireland got them to that situation in the first place.  The French lost to Austria, twice drew with Romania and only managed a 1-0 win in the Faroe Islands, although they made up for that with a home thrashing. The advent of a new 4-3-3 after Lassana Diarra’s withdrawal to get the best out of their attacking talent and dropping captain but Barcelona bench-warmer Thierry Henry brought some new hope, but the friendlies have brought loss to China, a draw with Tunisia and a late winner against Costa Rica, without impressing for the most part.

Why they’ll scrape through: On paper, they’re the best team in the group. Mind you, they were in 2002 as well. Mexico and Uruguay look like decent sides, and even South Africa have got good results in friendlies with home advantage on their side. While that might point to them providing plenty of competition for qualifying spots, it’s the sort of group where teams might take plenty of points off each other and any one could go through, so France might once again only need one decent result. It’s easy to forget that Domenech was at the helm four years ago, but with only a handful of player surviving from that squad, the experience of coming so close is largely absent, and with it any sense of a group revenge mission for the penalties defeat in the final.

Prediction: Could well go out at the first hurdle. But with their recent form, would an early exit even be that surprising?