World Cup so far: Winners & Losers

So the World Cup has finally begun, and every team has now played their first group game (except for South Africa + Uruguay, who at the time of writing have just completed their 2nd match). It has been a strange tournament so far, goals are at an all-time low, only 28 goals after 17 matches (there were 40 goals at this point in 2006, and 48 in 2002), but the passion and excitement is still there.

I've been impressed by the staging of the World Cup by our hosts South Africa. The stadiums look amazing, support is strong and the vuvuzelas are so loud that everyday life now seems to be accompanied by a low buzzing sound as someone watches highlights nearby.

The first round of games is usually where the big teams are tested and often nations are completely written off depending on their first result. What I'm going to do here is just have a look at the big winners (and losers) of the World Cup so far. So let's start with the positive side, the nations who will be the happiest after their first games...

Korea Republic

I've predicted Korea Republic to have a good tournament this year, and they got off to the best possible start with a 2-0 victory over group rivals Greece. This was a must win for the Koreans if they are going to have a chance of getting through this group, and with tough games against Argentina and Nigeria to come, the importance of this result is massive.

The South Koreans played some nice football, and capitalised on some errors in concentration in the Greek defence to score twice. The first goal came early, after only 7 minutes, when a neat free-kick from Ki Sung-Yeung found Lee Jung-Soo at the back post who volleyed home. The second goal came 7 minutes into the second half, a terribly misplaced pass from Vyntra handed possession to Park Ji-Sung, the Manchester United midfielder then took the ball past his man and beat the keeper with a lovely finish.

Korea Republic now go in to tomorrow's game against Argentina full of positives, and they will fancy themselves to spring a surprise result against Maradona's men.

Germany

One of the most successful nations in the history of the World Cup, the Germans entered this year's tournament with various injury troubles, a tough group and a seemingly pessimistic attitude. However, these worries will have been washed away by now, with Deutschland finding themselves named as "the team to beat" after an emphatic 4-0 win over Australia on Sunday.

Everything worked out nicely for the Germans, taking an early lead through Podolski and then getting another through Miroslav Klose to go in at half time with a 2-0 lead. Their opponents were left in further trouble when star man Tim Cahill was red-carded, and Germany then exploited their one-man advantage, finding two more goals through Thomas Müller and substitute Cacau.

It was a fabulous result against a sorry looking Australia side, and it leaves Germany top of Group D, only requiring one more win to seal their place in the next round. The hard work is most certainly not over for Germany, as their next two games are arguably the toughest, against Serbia and then Ghana.

Japan

There has been a lot said about the Japanese national team in the build up to the tournament, many people (including myself) doubted the team's quality and whether they would be able to finish Group E with any points. Despite that, the Samurai Blue got the job done on Monday when they nicked a 1-0 win against Cameroon in Bloemfontein.

This game was by no means a classic match, with both sides lacking in flair and concentration at times, but Japan dug in for the result after taking the lead on 39 minutes through Keisuke Honda. The goal was a little more about poor Cameroon marking than Japanese quality, but it was a good cross from Matsui, and a composed finish from Honda.

Their opponents were poor, Samuel Eto'o was not himself, showing the form that drew criticism from Cameroon national icon Roger Milla, suggesting he only plays well for his club as opposed to his country. In a very tough group with Netherlands and Denmark being their other opponents, Japan will be delighted to be able to go into those games knowing that any results will give them a healthy chance of qualifying.

Switzerland

No doubt the most surprising result of the tournament so far, Switzerland are our other big winners after their 1-0 win against tournament favourites Spain earlier on today. Group H is, in my opinion, the real 'Group of Death' in this year's tournament, with favourites Spain, newcomers Honduras, and the hotly tipped duo of Chile and Switzerland. Earlier on we saw Chile battle past Honduras to win 1-0, and then we expected to see a spectacular show of attacking football with Spain heavily favoured to win.

First of all, I have to say Switzerland got it dead right. Their coach Ottmar Hitzfeld is full of experience, and he called the tactics perfectly, allowing Spain to play their attractive brand of passing football, but keeping men behind the ball and starving the Spaniards of space in the key areas. Spain continued to control the game without managing to break down the last line of Swiss defence, and they were punished when Switzerland took a shock lead on the counter-attack through Gelson Fernandes.

Switzerland kept their tactics exactly the same, staying deep and soaking up the Spain pressure. They hit on the counter-attack again with Eren Derdiyok hitting the post after an excellent run, a total shame as it would have been a truly memorable World Cup goal.

Switzerland now have their big match against Chile approaching, and will have to be at their best to get past Bielsa's men and seal qualification.

Now I believe those are the four biggest winners of the World Cup so far, it's still to be seen whether they will be as happy after their second match, but they have made excellent starts.

So it's now time for the four losers.

Greece

We have already covered the Greeks briefly when talking about their opponents Korea Republic, and their disappointing 2-0 loss leaves them as one of the tournaments biggest losers so far.

As I mentioned in one of my World Cup preview posts, Greece rely on a strong and water-tight defence to be able to beat teams, and their defensive performance against Korea was nothing short of shocking. South Korea's two goals both came from defensive mistakes, the first goal saw Lee Jung-Soo completely unmarked with three Greek defenders ball-watching, and the second was a horribly misplaced pass in defence.

If this is what happens against South Korea, I dread to think what ultra-offensive Argentina and Nigeria will do to them.

England

Ok they did not actually lose their first match, but the manner in which England drew 1-1 against rivals USA is why they are one of the biggest losers of the first matches.

Please do not get me wrong, this isn't just an opportunity for me to call England "losers", or give out unfair criticism because I do not support them. England did not play terribly against the USA, and the USA were not particularly good either, but the manner in which they lost the equaliser and their failure to get back in the lead could cause some problems in the side.

Surely you've all seen it by now if you weren't watching at the time, but Robert Green's awful handling error to allow Clint Dempsey's tame shot to roll over the line was so surprising I could hardly believe my eyes as the ball went in. After that moment, England didn't manage to pick themselves up again, squandered some chances and the game finished 1-1.

I've still got no doubt that England will stroll through the group stage, I expect big wins against Algeria and Slovenia, but this result puts a little bit of doubt on whether this is a team capable of going all the way. But on a positive note, this was the best possible time for a setback like this to occur, as England have time to recover and if they hammer both Algeria and Slovenia team morale may be better thanks to the draw.

Serbia

They are one of my tips to be dark horses this year, but Serbia got off to a poor start losing 0-1 to Ghana. Despite some pretty poor warm-up results, Serbia still have a squad capable of turning heads at this year's tournament. But in Group D with Germany, Australia and Ghana, their opening game against the Black Stars seemed like a must-win.

The game ended up very close, only decided by a Gyan penalty after Kuzmanovic handled the ball in the area with only five minutes remaining. The most worrying part for Serbia is that they failed to show the quality that they have in their team, the defence played well but nothing spectacular and attacking players like Zigic and Milos Krasic didn't get a chance to show off their skills going forward.

The result leaves Serbia chasing qualification from behind, with a huge match against Germany approaching and then the grudge match against rivals Australia, while their main qualification rivals Ghana have the upper hand from the beginning on both points and head-to-head standings.

That said, if Serbia do manage to get a result against the Germans, they would still be in a good position to get one of the qualification places if they can keep their head against Australia.

Spain

Again, I touched on Spain's surprise 0-1 defeat against Switzerland earlier. I have included them as one of the biggest losers for a few reasons, the obvious one being that Spain were the favourites to win this tournament at the beginning, and losing the first game is a huge shock.

The other reason is that Spain were a bit unlucky in this game, they didn't play particularly poor, but were left with nothing after 90 minutes. Compare this to the likes of France, Italy and England, who played fairly bad but managed to leave with the draw and gain at least a point.

Spain had opportunities, Xabi Alonso even hit the bar, but Switzerland played a tactically superior game and took all three points. Also to be noted is that Spain were forced to bring a not completely fit Fernando Torres off the bench to try to win the game, something which del Bosque would not have planned unless Spain were comfortably leading the game.

This result now makes this amazing group even more exciting. Switzerland and Chile have three points each, and with Spain expected to beat Honduras next week, it will all be down to Switzerland x Chile and Spain x Chile to see who will grab qualification... It might even go down to goal difference.

Now that's it for now, hope you have enjoyed reading this and have enjoyed the World Cup so far. One more thing before I go, on Tuesday I was at home with ten Brazilians watching Brazil beat Korea DPR 2-1. It was an amazing day, the match was good, but being able to support Brazil and join in the celebrations was so cool. Football is everything here in Brazil and watching that game was an awesome experience. Thanks to everyone involved for an awesome day, and I can't wait until the Ivory Coast game now.

World Cup News

Just a bit of quick-fire World Cup news from the last week or so... Just to keep you up to date.

GROUP A

The hosts South Africa have released their final 23-man squad for the finals, the main surprise being the omission of their all-time record goalscorer Benni McCarthy. The West Ham striker has been struggling for fitness recently and seems to be a bit out of shape, the team may miss his talismanic goalscoring ability, but it was a brave choice to exclude him.

Meanwhile their group rivals France have made a few surprising choices in their squad selection, leaving out Karim Benzema and Patrick Vieira. Les Bleus forward Thierry Henry has also admitted he expects to feature in this World Cup only as a substitute after failing to get a starting place in France's recent friendlies. The Barca striker said that "the most important thing is the team" and that "we're all in this to go as far as we can together."

GROUP B

Argentina boss Diego Maradona has raised a few more questions surrounding his managerial decisions, as he is choosing to go with four natural centre-backs as his defensive line for this year's Finals. Velez Sarsfield star Nicolas Otamendi is expected to be forced to play as a right-back. Maradona also chose to exclude big names like Riquelme, Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti in his squad selection.

Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has been pronounced 'fully fit' and has joined up with the rest of the Nigeria squad. Mikel was feared to be a doubt for his side's opener against Argentina after he underwent knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus. The Super Eagles have also had their departure to South Africa delayed, after their aircraft at Stansted Airport "developed unspecified problems". They do not know yet when they will be flying out, but the Nigerian government are sending a new aircraft from Paris to fly the team.

There has been mixed news for the Korea Republic, with in form striker Lee Dong-Gook managing to regain fitness in time to be included in the final squad. However defender Kwak Tae-Hwi has had to pull out of the squad with a knee injury.

GROUP C

England boss Fabio Capello has announced his final 23-man squad for the finals excluding Leighton Baines and Theo Walcott. Baines was expected to be in the squad as back-up for Ashley Cole at left-back, but that spot has been handed to the relatively untested Stephen Warnock. Walcott's exclusion also comes as a surprise, four years on from his shock inclusion in the 2006 World Cup squad.

Group opponents Slovenia have instilled an interesting mentality ahead of their World Cup campaign. Forward Valter Birsa believes they have "nothing to lose". The striker went on to say that "all we can do now is carry on giving our all and fighting for every ball, like we have up until now". Team captain Robert Koren is also reinforcing the team spirit in the Slovenian camp, saying the team do not have individual stars, but a strong unit as a team.

GROUP D

Before the World Cup there are always injuries to important players, this year there have been few more important than Germany's Michael Ballack. The Chelsea star was injured in his team's FA Cup victory over Portsmouth and will miss the finals. This adds to the existing injury problems for the Germans, with 'keeper Rene Adler missing out, and midfielder Trasch is struggling for fitness.

Australia's final squad selection included one Middlesbrough player, while omitting two others. Boro 'keeper Brad Jones will be on the plane to South Africa, whilst right-back Rhys Williams and former Celtic striker Scott McDonald missed the cut. Manager Pim Verbeek has blamed Middlesbrough directly for Williams' exclusion, saying that he had been carrying an injury and continued to play for the Teeside club through a series of injections. Verbeek said he "could never train fully", and the manager was disappointed to have to exclude him.

Despite looking like a squad to really surprise everyone at the finals, Serbia's poor warm-up form has drawn its critics. The problem got serious in their friendly defeat against New Zealand, as fans rioted in the stands. Defender Nemanja Vidic had to act as the peacemaker, addressing the fans via a microphone in the middle of the field, asking for calm.

Along with the aforementioned injury to Michael Ballack, Group D has suffered another major injury, with Ghana losing star player, and fellow Chelsea midfielder, Michael Essien. Essien has been injured since January, but he was confident of making a return in time for the finals. After much assessment, Ghanaian medical experts said he would not be fit until the end of July.

Group E

The Netherlands have chosen not to pick striker Ruud van Nistelrooy for their campaign in South Africa, throwing his international future into extreme doubt. van Nistelrooy has a fabulous record for the Oranje, scoring 33 times in 64 games.

Former Celtic icon Shunsuke Nakamura has recovered in time from an ankle injury to be fit for Japan's World Cup squad. After missing the friendly defeat against England, it was feared that the player (now at Yokohama Marinos) could miss out on the final squad selection due to injury.

Cameroon star man Samuel Eto'o had threatened to pull out of this year's World Cup, after national legend Roger Milla had criticised his performances for the national team. Eto'o has since been named in the final squad and will be taking part at the Finals, but this latest scandal is one of many which could unsettle a talented Cameroon side.

GROUP F

Giuseppe Rossi and Mattia Cassani were surprise exclusions in what is an otherwise very strong Italy squad. However, Rossi and Cassani had both been expected to make the final squad, with Rossi's place taken by Giampaolo Pazzini of Sampdoria, and Cassani being dropped in favour of extra striker Fabio Quagliarella of Napoli.

GROUP G

On Tuesday 11th May, Brazil coach Dunga announced his seleção, sparking many debates all over the world. First of all, there was no room for fantastistas Ronaldinho and Adriano, after they both failed to impress for the national team in recent times. Secondly, Dunga refused to give in to national pressure and select the Santos duo Paulo Henrique Ganso and Neymar. Thirdly, there was surprise inclusions for Wolfsburg striker Grafite and Flamengo midfielder Kleberson (formerly of Manchester United), and surprise exclusions for AC Milan forward Alexandre Pato and Juventus midfielder Diego.

Now, there are a lot of talking points here, and I'll go through them a bit here instead of writing a new article.

I am very pleased with Dunga's selection. The main way he has chosen his team is by those who have impressed when given the chance for the national team. This explains the exclusions of everyone mentioned there. On the other hand, when called upon by the national team, players like Grafite, Josue, Julio Baptista and Kleberson have really impressed.

However there is one player I'd probably have picked instead. Hernanes of Sao Paulo is a 25 year old defensive midfielder, a truly fantastic player, I've always said he could walk into most squads in Europe. Unlike other prospective picks like Pato and Diego, when Hernanes has been called upon for Brazil (2008 Olympics squad) he has really impressed. So my only change would be Kleberson out, Hernanes in. Feel free to suggest your own changes.

GROUP H

Spain's striker David Villa has said that he will happily play on the wing for the European champions if it means he will get a spot in the starting line up. This follows the news of Fernando Torres' return to fitness and the general consensus that El Nino of Liverpool will get the starting spot up-front. New Barcelona signing Villa says that "the important thing is to play".

Tips for success Chile are sweating over the fitness of their top striker Humberto Suazo. Suazo is suspected to be suffering from a muscle injury, and would prompt significant changes in the Chile system. However some people in the know are putting this down to Coach Marcelo Bielsa's mind-games, trying to get teams to change their strategy to playing a team without Suazo. Such doubters are confident Suazo will not miss any games, should be interesting to see how that plays out...

So that's it for now, just to keep you all up to date on what is happening around the nations. Its only 8 days away, and I'm sure that like me, you can't wait for it to begin.

Who's Number One? (Part 2: Wayne Rooney)

Now the second part of my 3-part series on the best players on Earth right now. Last time was Messi, this time I'll talk about the reason England have a decent chance in World Cup 2010...

Wayne Rooney (Manchester United & England)
Date of Birth: 24 October 1985 (age 24)
Place of Birth: Croxteth, England
Position: Striker

Ever since he scored the winner for Everton against Arsenal in 2002, five days before his 17th birthday, Rooney has been tipped for big things. What followed was a £25.6 million transfer to Manchester United, then 6 amazing seasons at Old Trafford, and Wayne Rooney is widely accepted as one of the most dangerous players in the world.

Similar to Messi, Rooney is in one of the best places in the world to play football being at Manchester United. This season he leads the offensive line, finding great success linking up with Antonio Valencia and Nani on the wings. In his time at Man Utd he has had some fantastic players to play alongside, Ryan Giggs, Dimitar Berbatov, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Ruud van Nistelrooy but to name a few. Despite competing with some big egos and a lot of quality, Rooney has always been the first name on the teamsheet, and shows his quality in every game.

The reason why Rooney always seems to play well is that without a doubt he is the most determined player in the world. No matter how United are playing, no matter how tired he may be, Rooney will put 120% into every tackle, sprint the full length of the field at top speed, and put the ball into the goal with amazing power.

There isn't much point going through all of Rooney's best attributes, because he is the closest to a "complete footballer" I have ever seen. He has amazing stamina and determination, he is unbelievably fast, he has great balance and strength, his shooting skills are amazing, and his positioning and heading is now up among the best. He is even a pretty good tackler.

Rooney has all of these skills at 24 years old, when he has his best games he is capable of single-handedly defeating teams, he is the reason that England have a real chance at the World Cup this summer. I mentioned his age there, most forwards will reach their peak between 27 and 31, so that would suggest Rooney still has some time to develop (yes I know, he might get even better), and with his mentality and determination he really could improve even more.

On my Leo Messi post, I posted a really long video with all of his best skills and moments of genius, but for Rooney, I think this video is more appropriate. It is a compilation of all of his goals in this seasons Champions League. There is only five goals there, and we all know he has scored better quality goals, but these show some of his best striking attributes, and his value to the Manchester United team.



That's everything for Rooney just now. Tomorrow he plays in the Manchester derby against Man City, a hugely important game for Man Utd's title hopes, and at WilliamHill.com, Rooney is even money to score at any time in tomorrow's game.

The next and final post in this three part series will talk about one of Wayne Rooney's former team-mates, another candidate for number one in the world.

Liverpool vs Everton 6.2.2010

So the game I am covering today is the Merseyside derby, Liverpool-Everton. These teams usually provide a good game, both exciting and ferocious, with goals and red cards often in abundance. It’s often referred to as a “friendly derby” and I understand to an extent where that’s coming from.

I’m not from Liverpool, I’ve never been to a Merseyside derby, but it seems to be more of a local rivalry than a long-running social, cultural and religious divide between two clubs, like the rivalry we have here in Glasgow. Obviously I’m not saying it doesn’t mean as much as a Celtic-Rangers game for example, just that the rivalry is a little more human.

Anyway on to the game... Both teams lined up with a 4-4-1-1 formation, Liverpool with Gerrard playing behind centre forward N’Gog, and Everton with Cahill behind Louis Saha.

Benitez declined to start Alberto Aquilani, despite his recent good performances in the side. Instead Liverpool started with Lucas and Javier Mascherano in the centre of midfield, in my opinion an odd choice when playing at home. For Everton, Mikel Arteta returned from injury after just under a year on the sidelines. Still lacking match practice, Arteta wasn’t risked in the starting line-up, instead the Spanish midfielder was given a place on the bench.

Going into this game, Liverpool were sitting in 5th position, only one point behind 4th placed Spurs. Since the start of the season, the most repeated quote surrounding Liverpool has been Rafa Benitez promising at least a fourth place finish, and in their current position, he isn’t far off. Everton went into this game trying to extend their current unbeaten league run to 10 games, the Goodison Park side finding themselves in 9th place, a vast improvement from when they were flirting with the relegation zone early in the season.

The first half was a fiercely contested affair, both sides really getting stuck in, with strong physical challenges coming in from all angles. There wasn’t much football being played, and there was a lot of fouls committed. Andy Gray on Sky Sports described it as a “war of attrition”, a term that sounded cool at first, but was inevitably repeated nearly six times by Mr. Gray before the first half was over, somewhat taking away from the cool factor and bordering on the annoying factor.

After 33 minutes, the aggressive first half was summed up by Liverpool defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos being shown a red card for a two footed challenge on Marouane Fellaini. The incident was an interesting one, as one could argue that both players fouled each other, Kyrgiakos going in with two feet, while Fellaini went in high over the ball with his studs showing. If the referee had a better view of it, perhaps he would have given yellow cards to both players, but in truth Kyrgiakos could have no complaints as it was a silly lunge.

Now as I mentioned, there wasn’t that much football played in the first half, neither team looked comfortable in possession and players were often missing passes. In-keeping with the physical nature of the first half, most of the best chances came from free kicks. It was Everton with the first chance, Leighton Baines seeing his 25 yard free kick tipped over the bar by Pepe Reina, Liverpool reciprocated a while later, Steven Gerrard seeing his set-piece effort hit the bar of the Everton goal.

Everton had a great chance deep into stoppage time at the end of the first half, Tim Cahill heading over the bar from just over 6 yards. It wasn’t the easiest of opportunities, but considering Cahill’s ability when it comes to heading, he probably should have done better with it.

Coming out for the second half, both teams knocked the ball around a bit more, and we got the first goal of the game after 53 minutes. It came for Liverpool, with Dirk Kuyt heading home after a deep corner from Steven Gerrard. It wasn’t the prettiest of goals, but it was truly a great delivery from Gerrard, and Kuyt’s positioning, playing just off goalkeeper Tim Howard, allowed him to nod into the net from close range. The goal did come as somewhat of a surprise, with Everton in the ascendency, and Liverpool playing with ten-men.

After the goal, Liverpool stayed in control, looking happy to knock the ball around, trying to throttle the game. David Moyes in the Everton dugout tried to change it up by bringing on both Yakubu and Victor Anichebe for Saha and Osman respectively, but if anything, it just made Everton’s attack a little too congested.

Anyway, as I said Liverpool did seem content just to try and draw the life out of the game, with some calm passing and steady build-ups. Everton on the other hand, when they got possession, I couldn’t help but feel they were trying a little too hard to get behind the Liverpool defence. It didn’t help with the fact that Liverpool were bringing a lot of players back behind the ball when not in possession, so it did mean a lot of Everton attacks were quickly foiled by over-eager attempts to get the ball to the centre forwards.

With time running out, all of these failed attacks were making Everton frustrated, eventually leading to Steven Pienaar being sent off for a second bookable offence in stoppage time. Not the best decision, and with time running out there was no need for the referee to show the red card as it wasn’t a particularly bad challenge at all.

So Liverpool took the points, despite playing most of the match with a one man disadvantage, moving them up to the 4th spot Benitez has been promising all season. This was certainly not a classic Merseyside derby, neither team played particularly well, Liverpool barely doing enough to win, and Everton evidently didn’t do enough to try and get back in the game.

I’m sure David Moyes will be frustrated, not only did they lose to their rivals whilst having a one man advantage, but their unbeaten run in the Premier League also came to an end. Moyes’ double substitution in the second half, bringing on both Yakubu and Anichebe could have worked out in two ways; it could have spurred on their attack, or it could leave them over-crowded. Unfortunately for them, it was the latter, and with Anichebe, Yakubu, Arteta, Donovan and Cahill all working hard in the final third, they seemed to suffocate themselves.

Another quick talking point on the game, Liverpool won an important game 1-0 with the only goal coming from Dirk Kuyt. How many times have you heard that sentence? Dirk Kuyt does get a lot of criticism at times, granted a lot of it is justified as he isn’t a real quality player. However the role he plays in this Liverpool side is so vital.

There are so many teams around the world just crying out for someone like Kuyt, a player who will chip in with really important goals in some really close ties. Of course, it’s never a moment of inspired genius when he scores, he doesn’t pick the ball up on the half way line, beat four defenders and chip the keeper, instead Kuyt always seems to be there to turn in a scrappy finish, often helping Liverpool to a close victory.

Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Kyrgiakos, Agger, Insua; Maxi, Lucas, Mascherano, Kuyt; Gerrard, N’Gog.

Everton: Howard, Neville, Distin, Heitinga, Baines; Donovan, Fellaini, Osman, Pienaar; Cahill, Saha.

Man of the match: Pepe Reina (Liverpool)

WC2010: Whos Going? (Part 2)

Here's a few more nations.

ALGERIA

Right, just to let you know, I really haven't been able to watch much or any of the African teams in qualifying, so the actual teams are a bit of an unknown quantity to myself. However I know a good few players in the squads and will give my thoughts based on that.

At first glance, this isn't an Algeria squad full of recognised names. Fans from Scotland will be able to pick out Madjid Bougherra and possibly even Hull's Kamel Ghilas, but in truth this is a team with a lot of undiscovered talent. I look forward to seeing them perform as a group, and they shouldnt just be dismissed as being no-hopers.

Star Man: Madjid Bougherra

Don't need to say terribly much about Bougherra, as most of us know him already. The 27 year old's career is now starting to come together at Rangers, with silverware and some Champions League experience. Bougherra's accomplished defending will be key for this Algeria side.

Player to watch: Kamel Ghilas

From now until the first game of the 2010 World Cup, Algerian forwards will be battling it out to earn the second starting place up front alongside Rafik Saifi. Players like Djebbour, Ghezzal and this man Ghilas will be the ones in the running. Lucky enough to play in the English Premier League, Ghilas has been able to test his skills against some of the best defences in the world. If he is placed just behind goal-getter Saifi, then Ghilas could give a lot of teams something to think about.


Prediction: Realistically, they will exit in the first round. If they get a favourable draw, then maybe they could dig out some big results.

CAMEROON

"The Indomitable Lions" are Africa's most successful team. They have qualified for five World Cups (now six), and managed to make it to the quarter finals on one ocassion. In recent years however, they have been underperforming. Failing to qualify for World Cup 2006 was an aberration, and the former experienced stars like Geremi, Wome and Rigobert Song are beginning to fade. However, it really isn't all bad, as the Indomitable Lions have the potential to get back to their best. Here is a little reminder of one of their proudest moments, victory in the Second Round of World Cup 1990:



Young talent in Cameroon is abundant, players like Landry N'Guemo, Alexandre Song and Stephane M'Bia are starting to look like the players they were tipped to be. Also with players like Samuel Eto'o looking as dangerous as ever, it could be a good year for Cameroon.

Star Man: Samuel Eto'o

World Class striker, and someone capable of taking the Golden Shoe if Cameroon were to progress to the later stages. If he gets the service he needs, Eto'o will shine once again for Cameroon.

Player to watch: Stephane M'Bia

Always tipped for the top, M'Bia is now starting to realise that potential at 23 years old. Recently the subject of a £10.5 million transfer from Rennes to Marseille, watch out for this young midfielder.

Prediction: Second Round. Unless they get a tough draw, then they will go at the first hurdle.

DENMARK

For the first time in about 10 years, Denmark are looking like a serious team again. Qualifying top of a very tough group containing Portugal, Sweden and Hungary, Denmark will now be looking to relive some of their former glory. Morten Olsen looks like he's got the team to click. Famously frustrating striker Nicklas Bendtner is looking comfortable and scoring goals, veterans Gronkjaer, Tommason and Rommedahl are still showing their class, and in general the team's set-up looks top-class.

Star Man: Christian Poulsen

Maybe a surprise choice, but Poulsen has now firmly established his place as the engine that runs this Denmark squad. He played the most minutes in the qualifying campaign and popped up with a couple of goals from centre midfield. He is one of those players that really aggravates his opponents, but when he is on your side he is invaluable.

Player to watch: Nicklas Bendtner

You'll know him already, so I won't have to say much, but I predict WC2010 is where Bendtner goes from useful young striker, to renowned goalscorer. He will be playing in quite a good team, with some great service around him, and hopefully he won't be as frustrating as he usually is.

Predictions: I'm going to say quarter finals, but maybe I'm overrating them.

ENGLAND

The Auld Enemy qualified comfortably through their group to progress to their 13th World Cup and grudgingly, they have a great chance. England have always had an excellent squad, but they can just never seem to get it done in the end. Now, with Capello at the helm, realistically they could win the thing.

They have quality all over the park, and a top manager who knows how a football team works, and if he picks a good squad, England are serious contenders.

Star Man: Wayne Rooney

He is undoubtedly amongst the best players in the world. Consistently world-class, he will be key to Capello's plans and potentially could win the Golden Ball award for player of the tournament.

Prediction: Potential winners, I'm saying they will be finalists or eliminated in the semis.

More later on.

Oh and just a reminder, the Group Stage draw is made on the 4th of December in Cape Town. Dont miss it!