World Cup 2006 Germany

Ok, so i'm a couple of days late, but here it is- my take on the world cup.

1. Who'll win???

BRAZIL!!!!! They're too good, thats the short story. Ronaldinho and Kaka are simply unstoppable. Even if they both get injured (and they will be targeted by all the midfield enforcers), there's Robinho, Juninho and various other playmakers waiting in the wings. Brazil's detractors will tell you that they have frailties (ha!!). Roberto Carlos and Cafu are supposedly weak defenders. They have, in fact, starred in two world cup winning campaigns and won countless european and south american trophies (copa america, champions league etc). They are so good when in attack that people (falsely) assume that they must be weak defenders. But there is no soccer player in the world today who is as fit as these two, and they will run up to attack and back to defend for 90 minutes in all seven matches, of this i have no doubt.....

2. Who else has a chance?

England. Basically David Beckham carries all their hopes. If teams can hold back their tackles and not concede free kicks this side of halfway, England will be contained. But most teams will not have this discipline, so expect Beckham to feature heavily in this tournament. In Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Sol Campbell (off the bench), they have probably the tighest central defence in the world- the perfect foil for Beckham.

Holland. Pure Class!! Von Persie on the wings is currently my favourite player. This guy rocks!! Coach van Basten, himself one of the best strikers of the 80's, has a powerful attack combo with van Nistelrooy, Von Persie, Arjen Robben and Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel off the bench. The Surinamese-born midfield anchors, Seedorf and Davids, have both been axed. This, I feel is their weakness, and van Basten's gamble is what makes me put Holland below England.

Argentina. Without the hype that surrounded them in previous campaigns, Argentina will be a force this time around. Like Brazil, they have the talent to blow away any opposition, but cautious coaching will be their undoing. In Riquelme, Tevez, Aimar and Maradona's heir apparent Lionel Messi, they have the second best set of playmakers in the world. But coach Jose Pekerman does not see fit to play more than one of these players at any one time. A huge waste!! But with a seasoned defensive line and classy finishers (Crespo and Saviola) upfront, Argentina is not to be underestimated.

France. I put the French up here because have an inspirational playmaker in Zinedine Zidane, and with the savvy Thierry Henry prowling up ahead, they make a deadly pair. But without the parochial home support they enjoyed in 98, I cant see them matching Brazil.

Spain&Portugal. The Iberian neighbours have always had loads of talent and the right attitude to attack, but they have failed majorly at every hurdle. Dont expect them to win, but do expect some wonderful entertainment from the likes of Raul, Reyes, Simao and Cristiano "the other" Ronaldo.

The Dark Horses.

Ghana and Ivory Coast. No pun intended, but seriously, keep an eye on these guys. Unlike African teams in the past who send teams loaded with precocious but unpolished talents (Nigeria and Cameroon especially), the Black Stars and the Elephants come into this tournament with a core of seasoned footballers who ply their trade in Europe. With Samuel Kuffour (who has played for FC Bayern and R0ma AC) marshalling a bone-crunching defensive line and the central midfield duo of Michael Essien and Steffan Appiah (considered one of the strongest on display in Germany), Ghana will give Italy and Czech Republic a hard time in the group matches (and Brazil in the 2nd round if they qualify 2nd which is a distinct possibility). Similarly, the Ivorians have a powerful defence led by Arsenal stopper Kolo Toure, whose brother Yaya holds the reins in midfield. In Didier Drogba, they also possess a world class striker. The support cast includes a host of players with years of experience in French academies and first division clubs.

Czech Republic. Pavel Nedved will carry their hopes, similar to Beckham for England. They are incredibly ranked 2nd in the world by FIFA, behind only Brazil. Experts have ridiculed this ranking system, but Nedved and co. will be eager to prove them wrong.

Japan. Often criticized for their passive defence and tendency to crumble under pressure, they nonetheless have speed and agility to surprise the very best. The Blue Samurais will be difficult to contain, but unfortunately, they are too leaky at the back to be real contenders.

The Disappointments.

Italy. The catenaccio system will be their undoing once more. They'll sit back and let their opponents dictate terms. A single win in a group featuring the Americans, Czechs and the Ghanaians will be an achievement.

Germany. Klinsmann can be applauded for changing the face of German soccer in a few short years, but it wont be enough. This is the most attacking German outfit in history, but it wont be enough. Mertesacker and Metzelder are poor central defenders. Their midfield, without the dominating presence of Ballack will lack bite. And Polish-born strikers Klose and Podolsky will struggle against better opponents.

Croatia and Serbia/Montenegro. A comined Yugoslavian team would be mighty juggernaut indeed. But sadly, numerous civil wars have split Yugoslavia into (i dont know how many, but lots of) fragments. It is a credit to their strong soccer tradition that Croatia and Serbia/Montenegro have repeatedly qualified for world cups since the 92 war. Slovenia, one of the other fragments, featured at the previous world cup. But back to the point, I think both these teams will struggle in strong groups, both would do well if they can squeeze a win apiece.

Saudi Arabia. An absolute disgrace. These guys should not be here. A blight on the game. They are hopeless. Asia does not deserve a fourth spot. Strong teams like Cameroon and Uruguay are idling at home while the Saudis are also idling, but on the pitch, at a world cup!!!

Golden Boot.

Shevchenko. For the sole reason that he's in the group with Saudi Arabia. I'd consider 3 to be par score for him in that game.

Raul. As above.

Ronaldo, Adriano, Kaka, Ronaldinho. Or any other Brazilian. But its unlikely that any single one will be able to dominate all the time because the entire team will be queing up.

Crespo. The ultimate poacher. He will feature on the scorecards regularly.

van Nistelrooy. Has an eye for goal like no other. Especially at decisive moments, a very un-Dutch trait.

Good luck to....

Korea. A group of nobodies who as a team are wily opponents. They will remember Guus Hiddink's lessons which led them to an unprecendented 4th place at home four years ago. Always underestimated, I hope they have a good one.

Togo and Angola. I dont expect these woefully weak debutantes to score single point, or a goal for that matter. But they have come through a tough African qualifying draw, outperforming the giants of African football- Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa and Morocco. And they deserve their chance. They will be competing with the Saudis for the worst goal difference, but hopefully Shevchenko obliges........

Ecuador. They have widely demonized in the lead-up to this world cup. People have stopped just short of accusing them of cheating!! All this, because, Quito, the capital city of Ecuador lies at an altitude of nearly 3000m above sea level. By playing their home matches at Quito, Ecuador have an unfair advantage, or so claim the whingers. Forget the fact that Quito is the capital of Ecuador, has a population of 2 million making it the largest city in the country, and it has all the major soccer clubs of the country. Never mind that it is the only major sporting arena in this small country of 13 million people. Ecuador should be sporting and play at sea level, they say. Why dont Brazil play their home matches in some forest clearing on the Amazon, afterall, the vociferous support they enjoy at the Maracana is surely also unfair. Why dont the sporting Germans play their group games in France where the crowd will be neutral. And do you know what the most ridiculous thing is?? The highest capital city in the world is La Paz, Bolivia. They played all their home matches at altitude as well. Yet they didnt manage to defeat Brazil and Argentina!! Why are they not at the world cup?? Why didnt they get close to qualifying?? Because, Ecuador is a GOOD team. In a weak group, only Germany stand in the way of a first place finish. Go Ecuador.

My Favourites

Hard to say. I have a soft spot for France, only because the Mauritius-born Indian Vikash Dhorasoo is in their squad, a solid replacement for Zizu should the need arise. As always, I have great expectations of the Africans. They have unluckily been places in hard groups, but they will not be making any excuses. I love Spanish football- I would like to see something special from Raul and co, like what they produce at club level. But my favourites are their Iberian neighbours, Portugal. Perennial underachievers, this is only their 4th world cup. At their first attempt in 1966, they finished third, largely thanks to Mozambiqe-born legend Eusebio. This time around, as they seek to better that performance, the last remnants of the Golden generation of Portuguese football will know that this really is their last hurrah. The stars of the wonderful all-conquering youth team of the early 90's has one last shot at glory. Infused with a new breed of stars, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Simao, this might just be the perfect opportunity. But thats exactly what I said last time around!!!!