England, Europe, Features, Ian John, Regions, World Cup 2010 POSTS

World Cup Preview : Groups G & H

Published by Ian John on June 3, 2010

With one week to go before the FIFA World Cup Finals kick off in South Africa, we begin our coverage of the world’s greatest football tournament by previewing each of the teams in each of the groups over a series of four articles and we continue today by featuring the final two Groups G & H.

GROUP G
BRAZIL
The World Cup’s most successful team will face something of a stern test of their credentials in the group stage. The game with North Korea is a given three points but the games with Ivory Coast and Portugal look a much sterner test. Brazil should still qualify and as second favourites will be expected to progress at least to the semi finals of the competition. Dunga’s men qualified strongly from a long, tough South American qualifying campaign but will the omission of Ronaldinho from the finals squad be something that comes back to haunt Dunga if they don’t lift the gold trophy on July 11th?

Key Man : Kaka (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid’s expensive midfielder hasn’t enjoyed the best of seasons with his new club and he will be hoping to showcase his talents at the World Cup finals in the green and gold of Brazil. A hugely influential playmaker, who scores and creates goals in equal measure, Kaka’s importance to Brazil can be likened to that of Messi for Argentina, Rooney for England, Drogba for Ivory Coast or Ronaldo for Portugal. Deceptively quick and possessing a fantastic first touch, how Kaka plays will be the cornerstone of Brazil’s performances at the finals.

One to Watch : Alexandre Pato (Milan)
Chelsea are believed to be very keen on acquiring the young Brazilian striker from Milan and after this World Cup has finished, the whole world may well know why. Pato is a hugely talented player who has helped fill the gap left by Ronaldinho’s omission from the Brazilian squad. A genuinely world class prospect with two great feet, he has been a huge hit in Milan where his skill and invention, not to mention his goalscoring ability, have marked him down as a real threat. He won’t start for Brazil initially, but he may well have a significant impact from the bench and stake a claim for a regular place in the team as the finals progress.

PORTUGAL
Portuguese fans knew that they could face a tough task when they were drawn in the second pot of seeds for the finals draw in December. However the football gods decreed that Portugal would have it as difficult as possible to qualify from their group. There is more than enough quality in their team to get through the group, with the likes of Deco, Ronaldo, Veloso and Carvalho still likely to play a pivotal role in the team but Portugal will also have to rely on some talented youngsters, like Moutinho, if they are to make a real impact in the finals tournament.

Key Man : Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
One of the worlds best players will go to the World Cup finals having enjoyed a tough first year in Spain. Ronaldo has done well for Real, but at $80m, well isn’t perhaps good enough when viewed with the heroics performed by Lionel Messi at Barcelona. All Portuguese hopes will rest mainly on his broad shoulders as Ronaldo seeks to take on some colonial cousins, the toughest team in Africa and the unknown quantity from North Korea in this toughest of groups. He will need all his skill, power, pace and trickery to help Portugal qualify from this difficult group.

One to Watch : Joao Moutinho (Sporting Lisbon)
Many Portuguese fans reckon that Jose Veloso is their main man in central midfield alongside the clever promptings of Deco, but this finals could be the time that Joao Moutinho finally emerges from his shadows to claim a spot for himself in the Portuguese midfielder. Moutinho, on his day, is a classy anchoring midfielder in the Paulo Sousa mould. An intelligent user of the ball who has a great positional sense, Moutinho hasn’t done himself justice at international level just yet, but that may well change this summer.

IVORY COAST
Sven-Goran Eriksson will have a tough task taking Ivory Coast into the second phase of the World Cup. The Africans were touted by many to be the best African side at the finals, but the draw in December was cruel to the Ivorians, pitting them against Brazil and Portugal in the first phase. However all is not lost, in particular with the likes of Drogba in the team. They will need to improve defensively against the better teams but there is the potential in this group of players to cause a real upset in this group. A bigger question may well be, whether they have the belief in themselves to do just that.

Key Man : Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
One of the biggest and most controversial strikers in world football today, Drogba courts controversy wherever he plays, but also provides any team he plays for with a genuine goal threat against the best defences in world football. On his day, Drogba can simple be unplayable. Powerful, strong and intelligent on the ball and possessing real threat from in and around the box, if the Ivory Coast are to progress from this tough group then Drogba will have to be central to that.

One to Watch : Gervinho (Lille)
No doubt that Portugal and Brazil defences will be gearing up to take on Didier Drogba and Aruna Dindane of the Ivory Coast and while that is a sensible approach, paying simple lip service to the threat of Gervinho may cause real problems for those teams. The young striker with the striking haircut, is a real threat. Strong, pacy and agile and a good finisher, he combines the best of Drogba and Dindane in one player. Still improving and already believed to be a real target for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, Gervinho could well be a real threat during the finals.

NORTH KOREA
North Korean fans may well be forgiven for thinking the Footballing Gods had deserted them when fate put them in the group of death with Ivory Coast, Portugal and Brazil. Conspiracy theories aside, few experts give the North Koreans any hope of a point, let alone a win, in this group and even a goal scored against any one of the three opponents would be viewed as a minor miracle. It isn’t that North Korea are a bad side as such, they are not, but they are out of their depth in this group. The heroics of 1966 look unlikely to be repeated in 2010.

Key Man : Kim Yong-Jun (Pyongyang City)
Kim Yong-Jun is the captain of Pyongyang City, one of the leading teams in North Korean soccer. He is also the national team captain and perhaps will be under more pressure than most at the finals. The North Koreans have drawn the group of death and anything more than three thumping defeats would be a positive for the Asian side. However will that be viewed quite so favourably at home? Yong-Jun will need plenty of inspiration and perspiration to inspire his team mates in this toughest of World Cup groups.

One to Watch :Jong Tae Se (Kawasaki Frontale)
Known as “the Asian Wayne Rooney” the young North Korean striker plies his trade in the Japanese league, one of the few players from North Korea to play outside of his national league. A pacy striker with good touch, he is going to have to put in the performance of his life however if North Korea are to make any impact in this group.

GROUP H
SPAIN
The favourites for the tournament, despite a shock defeat in last summers Confederations Cup, are looking in fine form and great spirits ahead of the tournament. Spain banished the tag of ‘nearly men’ at Euro 2008 by lifting the trophy and this golden generation of Spanish players, relying heavily on a core of players from Barcelona, may well be the best chance Spain have ever had to win the World Cup. Qualification from the group should be a formality and anything less than a final spot would probably be viewed as a failure back home. This Spanish team IS that good and they easily have the weapons and game to win it all. The question is, can their temperament and nerve hold out?

Key Man : Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
With David Villa now scoring goals for the national team, Fernando Torres can feel some of the pressure being released from his shoulders. Liverpool’s striker has endured a miserable and injury hit season but seems set to be fit for the finals. That is great news for Spain who rely on Torres tireless workrate and intelligent running to create mayhem against the opposition defence. He scored the winning goal in the final of Euro 2008 and few would bet against Torres repeating that in the World Cup Final of 2010.

One to Watch : Xavi (Barcelona)
Arguably THE most important player in the Spanish and Barcelona squad, ahead perhaps of the mercurial Messi, is Xavi. The diminutive midfielder is the heart of both teams. Rarely wasting a pass, Xavi’s clever promptings from midfield, his movement off the ball and the ease in which he diffuses dangerous situations marks him out as a class above almost every other central midfielder in the tournament. He isn’t the most spectacular player, but if you asked any player in the Spanish or Barcelona team which one player they would name first in their team, many would name Xavi. He could be set to prove his undoubted World Class status once again this summer.

SWITZERLAND
Swiss fans are hoping that their young squad, with a few experienced older heads dotted around the team, will be enough to see them through into the second round of the competition for the first time in many a year. Hakan Yakin is still pulling the strings in an advanced midfield role but younger players like Johan Vonlanthen, Tranquilo Barnetta and Reto Ziegler are now pushing to the fore. The key game in this group will be the clash with Chile which will likely decide who qualifies from this group with Spain.

Key Man : Alex Frei (FC Basle)
Switzerland’s hopes of scoring goals this summer took a blow when striker Marco Streller was forced to pull out of the squad. That news just heaps more pressure on Switzerland’s leading striker Alex Frei this summer. The talented Frei is temperamental at times and does blow hot and cold, but on his day he is a dangerous striker and a good finisher and he will spearhead the Swiss attack against some tricky opposition in Group H.

One to Watch : Reto Ziegler (Sampdoria)
When Tottenham signed Reto Ziegler, they were expecting big things from the young Swiss star. Life in England didn’t work out for Ziegler however and he was shipped off to Italy. In the more refined air of Serie A however the young left back has thrived and become a key player for Sampdoria and Switzerland. Good down the left hand side and a hard working player with pace, he has displaced veteran Ludovic Magnin for the left back slot in the Swiss side this summer.

CHILE
Chile are often accused of being one of the major under-achievers in World Cup finals. However this current crop of talented players is one of the best Chilean fans has witnessed in many a year and there are real hopes that this squad could not only reach the second phase of the tournament, but perhaps push on towards the quarter finals. Beyond that would be beyond wildest dreams, but this is a young and talented team and if you are looking for a team to surprise a few of the bigger names in South Africa this summer, Chile could be one to keep a close eye on.

Key Man : Matias Fernandez (Sporting Lisbon)
Chile are now reaping the rewards of having a very talented U21 team a few years ago and central to both the U21 side of a couple of years back and the current Chilean side is Sporting Lisbon’s Matias Fernandez. A clever midfielder who works hard for the team, his creativity and partnership with Alexis Sanchez, is crucial to the creative attacking flair of what is developing into a dangerous and impressive Chilean side.

One to Watch : Alexis Sanchez (Udinese)
Sanchez is one of the most talented young players in the World Cup finals. Good on the ball and a clever, inventive creative midfielder with an eye for goal, he has impressed in Serie A at Udinese and could be set to make an even bigger impact at the finals this summer. He needs to sustain his efforts over the 90 minutes more to develop further but if he can make this small step, Chile should have a good chance of progressing from this group.

HONDURAS
When Honduras made the 1982 finals in Spain, they were something of an unknown quantity and underdogs within their group which included Spain and Northern Ireland. However the 2010 version of the team is a much stronger proposition. Led by the imposing Palacios in midfield and Figueroa in defence, this Honduran team will be no pushovers, but it still looks a pretty tough task to qualify from what looks like a difficult and competetive group.

Key Man : Wilson Palacios (Tottenham Hotspurs)
Spurs combative midfielder has been in superb form for the Londoners since signing from Wigan Athletic and Honduras midfield will have a strong anchor on which to build their entire team. Palacios has been in superb form for Tottenham since his move and has emerged as one of the best holding midfielders in the Premier League and he has the chance to showcase his talents on an even bigger stage this summer.

One to Watch : David Suazo (Genoa)
The Honduran striker has enjoyed a relatively successful career in Italy, plying his trade mainly in Serie A with a succession of teams without ever really making the grade at a big club. If Honduras are to have a good tournament then they are going to need to score goals and Suazo is the man who will shoulder that responsibility in a group that looks to be packed full of teams whose main strength is defence.

Image Courtesy of ***Wulan Spensaboo *** on Flickr.com

Readers Rating: