Alright so here we go. My final predictions for what will happen at the 2010 World Cup. I waited this long because I wanted to see how teams played in their final warmup matches and what injuries might pop up. And boy did the injuries pop up. Michael Ballack as well as Rene Adler and Heiko Westermann all out for Germany. Humberto Suazo out for Chile, John Obi-Mikel out for Nigeria, Michael Essien out for Ghana, Rio Ferdinand out for for England, Andrea Pirlo returning to Italy to undergo tests and will certainly miss at least their opener as well as Mauro Camoranesi having to undergo tests to determine his fitness. Julio Cesar possibly missing Brazil's first game, Arjen Robben not flying to South Africa with the rest of the Dutch squad so he can undergo tests but things aren't looking as bad as first feared and he could be available for all games. Oscar Cardozo looking like he will miss the entire World Cup while Ivory Coast fear Didier Drogba may miss out as well due to a broken arm. However, reports say he may be available toward the end. The latest news is that Nani, the Portuguese winger will miss due to a broken collar bone. Andres Iniesta picking up a knock against Poland but tests show nothing serious and it also looks like Cesc Fabregas and Fernando Torres will both be fully fit for the opener.
With all these injuries some of my predictions do change. I had initially had Ghana finishing second behind Serbia in group D but with Essien out I have changed that pick to Australia. I still see the rash of injuries Germany has suffered as too much for them to overcome in a strong group. I initially picked Italy to finish second in group F and with their rash of injuries and their age, this does not change. Now I have doubts as the if they can even make it out of the group stages but luckily for them they are helped by a weak group. Also with the Ivory Coast and Portugal both losing key players my doubts about each team grows. If Nani had not been injured I would consider putting Portugal ahead of Ivory Coast but with his exit I still think Ivory Coast will make it through.
So my round of 16 would look like this: Uruguay taking on Nigeria, Argentina taking of Mexico, England facing off against Australia, and the USA taking on Serbia. On the other side of the bracket we have the Netherlands playing Italy in one of the best games in this round while opposite them Paraguay will take on Cameroon in another interesting match. The final two matches would be Brazil playing fellow South American side Chile, while Spain would face off against the Ivory Coast.
Some of these games seem pretty straight forward such as England beating Australia but England's recent warm up matches have been anything but impressive. In fact, England has looked extremely pedestrian and even needed 2 own goals from Japan to win 2-1. Also a sharper Mexico team would have demolished the tired and sluggish looking English side. You would also think Argentina should walk away easily against Mexico, who has found it hard to score lately, but Argentina has not looked overly impressive as of late either.
I personally see the round of 16 playing out this way: Nigeria squeaking by Uruguay because of their attacking playing style, Argentina taking care of a Mexico team who will have a hard time scoring, England barely getting past Australia, and the USA losing out in a close and entertaining game against Serbia (I know you wont like reading that but I just think Serbia is better). The Netherlands will take of Italy in the first big name matchup while the Dutch flying past the old Italians. Cameroon should be able to get by Paraguay but don't count out the South America side. Brazil should ease past Chile though Chile is a strong team who could shock the powerhouse. And finally I see Spain finishing off either the Ivory Coast or Portugal as they are just too strong of a team.
The quarter-finals should then look like this: England facing Nigeria, Argentina lining up against Serbia, Holland facing Brazil, and Cameroon taking of the Spanish. My favorite match up of this round, and I think most would agree, is Holland vs. Brazil. It should be a great game to watch with lots of open play and great skill displayed.
As weak as England looks at the moment they should be able to move past Nigeria and into the Semi's. However, if they do face Uruguay or Mexico again, look out if you're and English fan. I like Argentina to move on based more on the great players they have than the results they have achieved. Serbia, with a great defense, could take out the Argie's and move on to the semi's but again I like Argentina in this game. Brazil-Holland should be a fun game but I think Brazil is the better side and remember they are the only nation to win a would cup outside its own continent. I like Brazil to move on in a high scoring, exciting game. And finally, Spain are just too strong and should be able to move past Cameroon.
All of this would lead to a semi-final round that will match up England vs. Brazil and Argentina vs. Spain. Like I said, I think England is weak right now but they had a great draw and have a fairly easy path to the semi's. However, once here I think Brazil will destroy England and show just how poor they are. In the other match up I like Spain. As I have said, Spain is the deepest, most talented team from end to end in this World Cup and they will make the final.
Brazil will take on Spain in the final, in what should be a very good game. Can Spain continue their normal possession game against a great attacking team like Brazil? Can Brazil get enough of the ball to put pressure on what some view as a weak back line (I agree that Sergio Ramos on the right side is weak and Carles Puyol in the middle is not as good as he once was, but Gerard Pique is still the best center back in the world)?
In the end I just can't see Spain losing a single game. They have only lost once in 40+ matches (I think the last count was 47). To you USA fans you will know just who beat them. Spain is the most talented team, has the best midfield and the best strike partnership in the world.
Spain is my pick
Showing posts with label England. Show all posts
Showing posts with label England. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Group C
We continue with our World Cup group by group analysis with group C today. Thats right, America's group.
England (FIFA rank 8, 13th appearance (1 time winner))
England breezed through qualifying, topping their group by 6 points of second place. Led by Wayne Rooney up front and the likes of Steven Gerard and Frank Lampard in the mid field, England made a statement. After failing to qualify for Euro 08 and sacking then coach Sven Goran Erricson, England has looked very dominant.
This is definitely one of the best English sides of all time but will that turn into a second World Cup trophy? After an injury scare that kept the entire nation holding their breath, Rooney has recovered and will lead the attack. Gerard and Lampard will control the midfield and try to spark the attack. John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole will anchor a very strong but very turbulent back line. Terry lost his captaincy after some controversy over an affair with another players with while Cole has had an injury plagued season and has been a little out of form. The questions come with the goal keeping and who will take up the position. Since David Seaman left after the 02 cup (and should have left earlier) the English goal has been weakly protected.
USA (14, 9)
The American's also qualified fairly easily (again) and topped CONCACAF. There was some turmoil about mid way through but the USA came out of it shinning and in first place. Team USA also put on a nice showing at the Confederations Cup losing to Brazil 3-2 after being up 2-0. The Americans actually went 2-0-3 in the tournament and got a lot of hype for a so-so performance. After being humiliated by Brazil and Italy in the group phase, they managed to finish second by beating Egypt and Brazil beating Italy. While the win over Spain and the game against Brazil in the final were impressive, the tournament as a whole was not.
The team will be led once again by attacking midfielder Landon Donovan. Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley will also help anchor the midfield while Jozy Altidore will be expected to lead the attack. Oguchi Onyewu will lead a strong back line and Tim Howard will patrol the goal posts. The American defense is strong but is their attack strong enough to get the goals necessary to move out of the group phase for only the third time in their history?
Algeria (31
Algeria is back in the world cup for the first time since 86. Algeria is probably the weakest of the African teams that went through qualification but that doesn't mean they can't play. They topped their group which included African Nation's champions Egypt and beating them again in a playoff. Lead by top goal scorers Antar Yahia and Karim Ziani the Algerians will play a counter attacking style to try to surprise teams. However, with little big game experience the Algerians could be over matched.
Slovenia (23, 3)
Slovenia enters the world cup after beating European big boys Russia in a two legged playoff match. They finished second to Slovakia in their qualifying group only 2 points back and with a goal differential of +14 (18 for to only 4 against). Slovenia then shocked Russia to earn their spot.
As you may have guessed, Slovenia boast a very strong defense. They also like to counter attack but can also hold possession and take control of a game as well. They will be led by top goal scorer Milivoje Novakovic and Mirnes Sisic.
Predictions:
This group is strange as 3 of the 4 teams prefer to counter attack and give up possession majority in order to do so. It will be interesting to see what happens when any of these teams play each other and who will take control of the game and be assertive. The USA vs. England match in game 1 should be fun and interesting to watch. In the end I think that England will probably top the group with 9 points but with the turmoil that has taken place in England they may falter. The USA will be favored to finish second but if they play like they did at the beginning of the Confed Cup they will go home early once again. Algeria are more happy just to be at the World Cup and will see making the knock out round as a bonus. Slovenia will try to impress again and make the knock out stages. I think the USA will finish with 4 points after beating Algeria and drawing with Slovenia, however, I think they finish second as Slovenia will finish with 2 points and Algeria with 1
England (FIFA rank 8, 13th appearance (1 time winner))
England breezed through qualifying, topping their group by 6 points of second place. Led by Wayne Rooney up front and the likes of Steven Gerard and Frank Lampard in the mid field, England made a statement. After failing to qualify for Euro 08 and sacking then coach Sven Goran Erricson, England has looked very dominant.
This is definitely one of the best English sides of all time but will that turn into a second World Cup trophy? After an injury scare that kept the entire nation holding their breath, Rooney has recovered and will lead the attack. Gerard and Lampard will control the midfield and try to spark the attack. John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole will anchor a very strong but very turbulent back line. Terry lost his captaincy after some controversy over an affair with another players with while Cole has had an injury plagued season and has been a little out of form. The questions come with the goal keeping and who will take up the position. Since David Seaman left after the 02 cup (and should have left earlier) the English goal has been weakly protected.
USA (14, 9)
The American's also qualified fairly easily (again) and topped CONCACAF. There was some turmoil about mid way through but the USA came out of it shinning and in first place. Team USA also put on a nice showing at the Confederations Cup losing to Brazil 3-2 after being up 2-0. The Americans actually went 2-0-3 in the tournament and got a lot of hype for a so-so performance. After being humiliated by Brazil and Italy in the group phase, they managed to finish second by beating Egypt and Brazil beating Italy. While the win over Spain and the game against Brazil in the final were impressive, the tournament as a whole was not.
The team will be led once again by attacking midfielder Landon Donovan. Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley will also help anchor the midfield while Jozy Altidore will be expected to lead the attack. Oguchi Onyewu will lead a strong back line and Tim Howard will patrol the goal posts. The American defense is strong but is their attack strong enough to get the goals necessary to move out of the group phase for only the third time in their history?
Algeria (31
Algeria is back in the world cup for the first time since 86. Algeria is probably the weakest of the African teams that went through qualification but that doesn't mean they can't play. They topped their group which included African Nation's champions Egypt and beating them again in a playoff. Lead by top goal scorers Antar Yahia and Karim Ziani the Algerians will play a counter attacking style to try to surprise teams. However, with little big game experience the Algerians could be over matched.
Slovenia (23, 3)
Slovenia enters the world cup after beating European big boys Russia in a two legged playoff match. They finished second to Slovakia in their qualifying group only 2 points back and with a goal differential of +14 (18 for to only 4 against). Slovenia then shocked Russia to earn their spot.
As you may have guessed, Slovenia boast a very strong defense. They also like to counter attack but can also hold possession and take control of a game as well. They will be led by top goal scorer Milivoje Novakovic and Mirnes Sisic.
Predictions:
This group is strange as 3 of the 4 teams prefer to counter attack and give up possession majority in order to do so. It will be interesting to see what happens when any of these teams play each other and who will take control of the game and be assertive. The USA vs. England match in game 1 should be fun and interesting to watch. In the end I think that England will probably top the group with 9 points but with the turmoil that has taken place in England they may falter. The USA will be favored to finish second but if they play like they did at the beginning of the Confed Cup they will go home early once again. Algeria are more happy just to be at the World Cup and will see making the knock out round as a bonus. Slovenia will try to impress again and make the knock out stages. I think the USA will finish with 4 points after beating Algeria and drawing with Slovenia, however, I think they finish second as Slovenia will finish with 2 points and Algeria with 1
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