The knockout phase begins today, I would post, but my brother has provided an excellent preview of his own.
Archive for June, 2006
The Knockout Phase!
Saturday, June 24th, 2006World Cup Review – 2nd Phase Group Stages
Tuesday, June 20th, 2006Apologies for the lack of daily updates, I’ve been a bit busy over the last few days, so here are my thoughts on what I have seen over the first two phases of the group stages.
Group A
The Germans late win against Poland was what they deserved, and with Michael Ballack fit they have a strong chance of winning the group today, Ecuador have impressed me throughout the tournament, much to my surprise, and if they avoid defeat to the Germans will win the group. Poland have looked as good as last world cup (i.e.: dreadful), and Costa Rica who played well against Germany should probably have done better against Ecuador.
Group B
England, although not appearing to play in top gear, have done enough to reach the second round, with 80 minutes of rubbish, and followed by one well taken, and one superb goal against Trinidad, the Swedes, who England play today have looked poor going forward, and were lucky to have taken all 3 points against Paraguay. That said, Paraguay have offered very little in attack, and they are, IMO, quite deservedly out of the tournament, and if Sweden avoid defeat against England, Trinidad will be following Paraguay. This is a pity really, although they have played ultra-defensively in their first two games, at times they have caused defences to sweat, and seeing players from Wrexham and Luton compete against some of the worlds most expensive players is always good to see.
Group C
This group has rightly lived up to its Group of Death naming, with the Netherlands and Argentina already through, despite Ivory Coast looking the best of all the African nations. Argentina have looked by far the best of all the teams so far, their 6-0 crushing of Serbia & Montenegro was the best performance of the tournament by any team, and their second goal, a series of 24 passes followed by a clinical finish by Cambiasso, could possibly be called the greatest team goal ever, eclipsing Brazils 4th goal in 1970. The Netherlands have looked competent in their two victories and could still go all the way, although some of their defending has been dodgy at times, while both pointless teams, Serbia & Montenegro and Ivory Coast have shown glimpses of why they qualified, although S&M also showed the typical dirty play traits of a typical Yugoslav team.
Group D
This group has lived up to my “ZZZZ” opinion of it with Portugal misfiring on their way to 6 points, and Mexico struggling too. Angola have put a good fight up in both games, deservedly earning a point against Mexico, and they could sneak into second spot with a win over Iran and Mexico losing to Portugal, whilst Iran haven’t really done much, all in all, a dull group.
Group E
This has the potential to be the best group of the tournament thanks to the Czechs losing miserably to Ghana, and Italy struggling against the USA, with a win for any side giving them the chance to progress (although it depends on results for the USA). I have to confess, I didn’t see the Czech Ghana match, but what I have heard is that Ghana should have scored plenty, and the Czechs were poor, I did see the USA vs Italy, and the Italians just couldn’t score to take all the points and secure their progression to the next round. The last matches, Czechs vs Italy and Ghana vs USA should have been simple with both the Czechs and Italy through, now both matches could be the most important ones ever for 3 of the teams, and a vital match for the Italians.
Group F
Brazil are another side not firing on all cylinders yet, but they are through so anything can happen now, the Australians have looked good in both their two games, whilst Japan and Croatia have looked decidedly poor, but both teams still have a chance to progress (although that’s unlikely for Japan as they have to play Brazil). The Croatia vs Australia match will be interesting, as 3 of the Croatian players were born in Australia, and 7 of the Australian players were born in Croatia, so their could be some fireworks there.
Group G
This is another exciting group, with the possibility that France will go home after the group stages again, although if they win by 2 clear goals they will progress, albeit in second place with a probable match against Spain. South Korea have looked pretty good, grabbing a somewhat deserved point against the French (France should have sealed the match earlier, but just looked like they couldn’t be bothered), while Togo are on their way home, which is a pity as they have at times looked good. The Swiss looked confident against Togo, and were unlucky against France, so they could beat Korea and go through as group winners, which would be very interesting.
Group H
After their 4-0 drubbing by Spain, the Ukraine inflicted the same scoreline on a very poor Saudi side, whilst Spain qualified for the next stages with a win against Tunisia, although they were 1-0 down until into the 2nd half. Ukraine have a chance to join them with a win against Tunisia, whilst the Saudis have to hope they can beat Spain to stand any chance of progressing. Overall, a good group with plenty of goals (4 in every game so far) with Spain looking very good going forward and they could go quite far in the tournament.
In summary, the best teams I have seen so far in the tournament are:
- Argentina
- Spain
- The Netherlands
- Italy
- Brazil
- Portugal
- England
With all except Italy through so far there could be some very interesting knockout matches.
Day 6 Review
Wednesday, June 14th, 2006Day 6 sees the conclusion of the first round of group matches, and the start of the second round, with Germany playing Poland. Here are my thoughts on the days action.
Spain vs Ukraine (Match Report)
Spain thrashed Ukraine and they looked like one of the best sides to play so far, just behind the Czechs, any side which can afford to put Raul on the bench has to be good offensively. The Ukraine, although the score would suggest otherwise, were not too shabby, although I think the reliance on Shevchenko could prove their downfall. The second goal was the start of their bad luck, with the ball taking a wicked deflection off the wall and leaving keeper Shovkovsky no chance, and when Vaschuk was sent off for an apparent foul Torres in the area, which I am yet to work out the Ukraine were left the impossible task of overcoming a 3-0 deficit with 10 men. The best moment however was Spain’s 4th, with Puyol showing some fantastic skill to play Torres through, and a deadly finish from the Atletico gave Spain a slightly flattering 4-0 result.
Tunisia vs Saudi Arabia (Match Report)
With Ukraine losing to Spain, the winner of this fixture would have a great position to take 2nd place in the group, however poor defending by both teams led to a 2-2 stalemate. Tunisia started the brightest, dominating the first half, and deservedly taking the lead, however the second half was a completely different matter, with Saudi Arabia stealing a march on the Tunisians. Sami Al-Jabers goal, to make it 2-1 with less than 6 minutes to go looked to have sealed all 3 points for the Saudis, however in the 92nd minute Bolton’s Radhi Jaidi (who is a centre back) was pushed forward and he grabbed a vital equaliser for the Tunisians. Overall I think both sides showed they are unlikely to win the title, but a good result against the Ukraine and either side could sneak through into second place.
Germany vs Poland (Match Report)
Another poor showing from the Germans, but thanks to Oliver Neuville they take all 3 points, virtually guaranteeing them a spot in the second round, and pretty much dumping the Poles out in the group stages again. The Germans again looked poor up front, with Podolski wasting a great chance in the last minute of the first half, and Klose also coming close with a header, but he appeared to be put off by Boruc. Jens Lehmann was never troubled, with “magic” Zurawski looking anything but magic, and the Poles seemed to be hoping to sneak a draw and try and creep into the next round, a great disappointment for a team which had qualified so well for the tournament.
My brother has written some of his thoughts on the first round of games over on his site, so head on over to his blog now 
.
Day 5 Review
Wednesday, June 14th, 2006Yesterdays fixtures featured the current and previous World Champions in action, Brazil & France, here are my thoughts on the days action.
South Korea vs Togo (Match Report)
Togo looked quite impressive here, as have all the african teams so far, however the South Koreans showed their experience once Togo went down to 10 men. The opening goal of the game was taken expertly by Kader, who impressed all game, however I was not too impressed by Adebayor, who I’ve never really seen do much at Arsenal. Before Togo were reduced to 10 men they were by far the better side with South Korea appearing toothless in attack, however when Abalo received his marching orders for two yellow cards (the first of which seemed a little harsh) it turned to one way traffic. Both of the Korean goals were beautiful strikes, with Ahn Jung-Hwan’s strike to make it 2-1 the pick of the bunch. Overall, I was impressed by the Togolese, and they were unlucky to be reduced to 10 men, South Korea showed their experience once this happened, however they looked poor in the opening half.
France vs Switzerland (Match Report)
This was bar far the worst game of the tournament with the French still looking poor on the world stage. Thierry Henry was played as a lone striker, which I don’t think really works as he often was left unsupported, meaning he struggled to really test Zuberbuehler, the Swiss keeper. At times the Swiss could have scored, they hit the post in the first half from a fantastic free kick, and in the second half Barthez had to make some last gasp saves, the French defence at times looked completely unorganised, and Lillian Thuram was not at the top of his game. A good result for the Swiss, but France will have to improve significantly if they want to win the group.
Brazil vs Croatia (Match Report)
Brazil here looked off form, and at times the Croats could have equalised, the Brazillians, especially Ronaldo, looked off form, with Ronaldinho also not looking his best. Kaká’s well taken goal was the only real highlight of the game, and looking at how Ronaldo was playing, you have to wonder if he is only in the squad to get the 3 goals he needs to beat Gerd Mullers record. Defensively cracks seemed to appear in the Brazillian defence, which could be worrying when they play sides with better strike forces in the latter stages. However Brazil, like England, will take the three points on offer, and hope to improve as the tournament goes on, the Croats still have a chance of qualifying, if they can beat both Australia & Japan.
Day 4 Review
Tuesday, June 13th, 2006The Czechs and the Italians started their tournaments yesterday, and both teams looked impressive in their opening matches, here are my thoughts on the days games:
Australia vs Japan (Match Report)
Australian manager Guus Hiddinck made fantastic use of his substutes here (make sure you take notes Sven) with both scorers coming on as second half substitutes. The Australians looked good going forward, and with players like Cahill, Viduka & Kewell this is to be expected, the goal they conceded although controversial, was correct in my opinion, as I felt that Schwarzer had come to try and get the ball, and been nudged out of the way by a push from one of his own players on the Japanese attacker, the Japanese will struggle to qualify now, while Australia have every chance, just needing to beat Croatia to take 2nd spot.
USA vs Czech Republic (Match Report)
The Czechs played by far the best football of any team so far here, with some beautiful passing and movement, and with Tomas Rosicky, a dangerous playmaker. Jan Kollers opener was a stunning header, and I’m sure the Czechs will miss him in latter stages of the tournament, but with Nedved and Rosicky, and Baros when fit, they still have an impressive attacking lineup. Defensively they looked strong, although had Reyna’s shot gone in rather than rebounded off the post at 1-0, it could have been a different story, and Petr Cech only had one major save to make.
Italy vs Ghana (Match Report)
The Italians also looked good last night, especially going forward, although at times Ghanaians had chances to score. Toni and Gilardinho created several chances, and it will be interesting to see if Iaquinta will get a starting spot in their next match after his well taken goal, capitalising on a mistake from Kufour to round the goalkeeper and slot home the Italians second.
Group H
Tuesday, June 13th, 2006The final group to preview is that of Group H, containing Spain, Ukraine, Tunisia & Saudi Arabia.
Spain
Spain are the World Cups underachievers, they have been to the last 8 world cups now and the furthest point they have reached has been the quarter finals, and again this year they have a strong squad mixing experienced players like Raul and Puyol with younger players like Fabregas and Torres. They have an impressive array of attackers this year, with Raul, Torres, Garcia & Reyes, but defensively I am not too sure as they appear to lack a strong centre back like Hierro or Helguera. My Prediction: Group Winners.
Ukraine
This is the first world cup for the former russian state, and if ever there was a side in the tournament relying on one player it is the Ukraine and Chelsea bound Andriy Shevchenko. Aside from Shevchenko, only Voronin, the Leverkusen striker plays outside of the Ukraine/Russia, so they have a relatively uknown squad, however Spurs fans will remember the torrid time that Sergei Rebrov had. That said, they have a relatively easy group in my opinion, and they should be able to beat both Tunisia & Saudi Arabia. My Prediction: Group Runners Up.
Tunisia
This is the third World Cup in a row that Tunisia have played in, and after winning the African Nations Cup two years ago, they have a relatively strong squad. European fans will recognise several of the players, such as Trabelsi the Ajax defender & Radhi Jaidi from Bolton, whilst several of the squad ply their trade in France. Managed by Roger Lemerre, who helped France to the Euro 2000 title, but failed with them 4 years ago in Japan & South Korea, they are not going to be as easy a pushover as first appears. My Prediction: 3rd Place.
Saudi Arabia
The Saudi’s, in their 4th World Cup in a row, will mainly be hoping not to receive as large a thumping as last world cup when Germany put 8 past them. Their main threat is from Sami Al-Jaber who is a legend at home, and has played in the last 4 World Cups. Their entire squad plays in the Saudi league, so they have a very insular squad, and I don’t expect much from them. My Prediction: 4th Place.
Day 3 Review
Monday, June 12th, 2006Well, with 8 games gone at the end of today, we are now exactly 1/8th of the way through the world cup, and I have to say it has been a pretty good tournament so far, however I think it is still yet to sparkle fully.
Serbia & Montenegro vs Netherlands (Match Report)
This match featured the other two teams in the “Group of Death”, and although at times it showed promise, it was not the greatest of games, with the Dutch taking most of the possession, but failing to completely capitalise on it. Arjen Robbens goal was well taken, and I was surprised he didn’t fall when his shirt was tugged by Gavrancic, but he stayed on his feet and finished nicely. Aside from this though, the dutch only made the serb keeper sweat twice, with Robben trying, and mostly failing to hit the target, and Van Nistelrooy looking very rusty at times. The serbs did provide some entertainment, with Savo Milosevic having a good chance but unfortunately for him Kezman got in his way, other than they they played very defensively, relying on Kezman’s pace to create chances, which rarely happened. Overall though both teams showed what they are made of, and the rest of the fixtures in the group will still be interesting.
Mexico vs Iran (Match Report)
This was the first match from Group D, and it was quite entertaining, with the Mexicans peppering Iranian keeper Mirazpour’s area with crosses, and rightly taking all three points with two late goals. Rafael Marquez showed why he is one of the best players in Europe with a fantastic performance, he played all over the pitch, and even when they were 3-1 up he was still helping out the attack. The Iranians showed that they would be no pushovers, especially when Golmohammadi equalised, however other than their goal, they rarely troubled the Mexican keeper.
Angola vs Portugal (Match Report)
This game, a meeting between the colonialists and their colony offered a chance of some sparks, however these didn’t really appear, and aside from the early moments where Portugal looked like they were about to get a cricket score it was a very ordinary game. With Pauleta nearly scoring inside the first 15 seconds, and then putting Portugal in the lead on 4 minutes after some fantastic build up play from Luis Figo it looked like it would be a rout, however Angola rallied and at times they made Portuguese keeper Ricardo make some excellent saves. Portugal had some nice build up play at times, however I felt that Simao did not look at his best compared to some of his Champions League form, and Ronaldo’s show of petulance at being substituted could be a bad sign. Overall it was a relatively good match, and Angola showed they were not merely here to provide shooting practise, Portugal will look to try and get some more goals in their next match against Iran.
Group G
Sunday, June 11th, 2006Group G features 1998 champions France, along with Switzerland, South Korea and Togo, here are my predictions for the group:
France
After a disastrous last World Cup, the french will be hoping that they can at least score this time, however after a tough time in qualifying the scored only 14 goals in their 10 matches. They will be hoping Thierry Henry can take his club form into the tournament, and after losing Cisse to a dreadful injury will also be hoping that Wiltord and Trezeguet provide some too. Defensively they are relatively weak however, as any side with Jean-Alain Boumsong would do, and they will be relying on the experienced head of Lillian Thuram to provide strength at the back. In midfield they still have Zidane after his return to international duty midway through qualifying, and with Vieira and Makelele they have a strong midfield. My Prediction: Group Winners.
Switzerland
After a violent match in Turkey, Switzerland qualified for the World Cup and with them being in the same qualifying group as France they will be well accustomed to their Gallic neighbours style of football. Their main players are AC Milans Johann Vogel in midfield, Rennes Alexander Frei upfront, and Arsenal revelation Philippe Senderos, whom they will be relying heavily on this tournament. My Prediction: 3rd Place.
South Korea
Since the last world cup, several Koreans have joined the ranks of english football, and fans will be familiar with Park Ji-Sung of Man United, and Lee Young-Pyo of spurs, some will also recognise Wolves midfielder Seol Ki-Hyeon who has made quite an impression over the last year. Although I don’t expect them to go as far as last time when they reached the semi finals, I expect them to at least reach the knockout phase. My Prediction: Group Runners Up.
Togo
This is the first World Cup for Togo (or the Sparrowhawks as they are known), and I can’t see them getting any further than the group stages, with a large France based contingent they will be well accustomed to european football however. The biggest problem now though will be organising themselves after their manager resigned due to constant bickering over financial payments for the players, and they will have to hope that Arsenal’s Adebayor does better than for Arsenal, where IMO he hasn’t been particularly sparkling. My Prediction: 4th Place.
Day 2 Review
Saturday, June 10th, 2006Three games were played today, with two of the possible favourites playing, England and Argentina.
England vs Paraguay (Match Report)
After a perfect start for England, a 4th minute own goal by Paraguayan captain Gammara, they at times showed some quality, especially Joe Cole, and the Paraguayan defence struggled to cope with Peter Crouch. Overall however, England failed to dominate, and at times were lucky the Paraguayans couldn’t break through the defence, although serveral holes appeared from time to time. Early on it was obvious that the English would try and play a crossing game, however crosses from Beckham and Cole very made it to their intended targets, and I was quite disappointed with the quality of the crossed balls. This aside, it was an important win, and the first time in over 20 years England have got off to a winning start at a major international tournament.
Trinidad & Tobago vs Sweden (Match Report)
Trinidad & Tobago pulled off what should be one of the results of the world cup here, with a resolute defensive performance against Sweden, especially after playing virtually the whole of the second half with 10 men after Avery John was sent off, rightly IMO. Sweden looked tidy in midfield and defence, however they severely lacked any punch upfront, however they did make Shaka Hislop make some impressive saves in the T&T goal. In fact, substitute Cornell Glen nearly stole all 3 points when he crashed a shot against the crossbar, however I feel that this would have been a tad undeserved. In summary, as an England fan this is an excellent result, as a victory against Trinidad would guarantee us a second round place, and as a result, the Trinidadians fully deserved the point they earned.
Argentina vs Ivory Coast (Match Report)
The first match of the “Group of Death”, and I have to say that both teams showed what they were made of. In the first half, the Argentines showed why they are rightly considered as one of the favourites to take the title in a months time, with some brilliant passing, and taking two well taken goals, especially Saviola’s to make it 2-0, with Riquelme showing why he is wearing Maradona’s no 10 jersey with some quality build up play. Ivory Coast however refused to bow down, and they showed why they should not be written off with some neat moves of their own, and in the second half Didier Drogba rightly got them a goal, however resolute defending from the Argentines prevented them from equalising.
Looking at the performances of England & Argentina today, I can seewhy Argentina are one of the favourites, however I was less than impressed by England’s performance, but hopefully with a win under our belts we can improve for our next game, against Trinidad & Tobago on thursday.
Group F
Saturday, June 10th, 2006Group F features most peoples favourites for the trophy Brazil, along with Croatia, Australia and Japan, with Brazil virtual certs to take the group, the 2nd place spot is wide open. Here are my predictions for this group:
Brazil
Brazil are most peoples tip to take the trophy home again next month, and looking at their squad (the attacking part anyway), and it’s hard to argue against their status as favourites. With Ronaldo, Robinho, Kaka and Ronaldinho they have probably the best attack in the tournament, however defensively they may struggle, but we said that last world cup, and look what happened . My Prediction: Group Winners.
Croatia
Pipping Sweden to the top of their qualifying group was impressive for the croats, especially after failing at the group stages 4 years ago. Their main attacking threat will come from Rangers’ Dado Prso, and with the Kovac brothers helping out defensively they have a chance of taking second place in the group, along with both Japan and Australia. My Prediction: Group Runners Up.
Australia
In only their second world cup, the Australians will be hoping to make a better impression than then they were last in Germany for the tournament. With the majority of their squad playing their football on European soil, and with players like Kewell and Emerton they have a good quality side. Defensively they may struggle however, as they generally have to cater with the quality strikeforces of Guam and Samoa. My Prediction: 4th Place.
Japan
This is Japans third world cup in a row, and they will be looking to continue with the progress shown in the last world cup, where they lost in the second round to eventual 3rd place finishers Turkey. Although most of their squad play in their native J-league, english fans will recognise Bolton’s Hidetoshi Nakata, and WBA’s Junichi Inamoto in midfield, Celtic’s Nakamura is also one of their bigger named players. My Prediction: 3rd Place.