Team Profile: Argentina

Probable Starting XI: Abodanzierri, Collocini, Ayala, Samuel, Sorin(c), Cambiasso, Luis Gonzales, Messi, Riquelme, Teves, Crespo

Three things you can say about Argentina: they play dirty, they've got great players, and they hate England. Having won two world cups under questionable conditions (in 1978, they hosted and were accused of skewing the games in their favour - dodgy story; in 1986, they punched their way into the semifinal - dodgy hero), the argentines make no bones about the fact that a bit of spit, the odd dive and cheat is part of their footballing ethos. which makes for great world cup narratives, because good stories need good bad guys, and down in "the bowels of the world", you can always find 11 willing men to play the bad guy.

Captain Sorin leads the albiceleste

Of course, that isn't to say that Argentina only amount to thugs, thieves and pickpockets. Their manager Jose Pekerman, who won two world youth cups with argentina jr, has on his hands a wealth of talent throughout the squad. many of his juniors are now seniors, and the challenge for all involved now is to turn their under-19 success into a senior one.

At the back, Argentina have a surplus of options. names like milito, colocini, demichelis and burdisso are fast becoming household, yet it will probably be the experienced rearguard of walter samuel and roberto ayala that will form the rock in front of goal. youth and pace may have deserted them, but the aforementioned four reserves provide plenty speed in backup. in juan pablo sorin, argentina have a captain who leads by example, bombing down the left wing to start lots of quick attacks.

Cambiasso: Argentina's non-threatening defensive midfielder

in front of the backline, argentina typically sport tough tackling holding midfielders born and bred for sole purpose of breaking opponents' legs. this incarnation of argentina, however, lacks in this department. esteban cambiasso, who appears to be getting the holding midfield nod, is much more elegant than his predecessor diego simeone, bearing a more intelligent pass but lacking the aggression and hard-as-nails bite to his game. aldo duscher, notorious for breaking david beckham's foot appears at best number two in the pecking order, while javier mascherano, perhaps simeone's true longterm successor, lacks the international experience to earn him a starting place.

but what argentina's midfield lack in brutality, they certainly make up in huge quantities of attacking skill. argentina are in fact blessed with a glut of world class attacking midfielders, players who roam behind the strikers to either deliver that incisive pass, storm into the box, play that wily flick, or score from 25 yards. arguably, this argentina team will be built around the talismanic juan roman riquelme. unfairly criticised for being too slow, riquelme's value lies in his wonderful skill on the ball, ability to do the unpredictable and his cultured attacking nuous.

Riquelme ahead of Aimar as playmaker and pivot

supporting riquelme either from the bench or on the pitch are names like pablo aimar, leo messi and even sergio aguero (ok, so aguero might be supporting from an armchair in madrid, but still...). aimar, whose attacking ability is second to few is also frustratingly erratic and injury prone. a fit and consistent aimar would definitely challenge riquelme for the playmaker role, and in any other country bar brazil, aimar would start in spite of blowing hot and cold. of course, there's barcelona's wonderkid leo messi - the teenager the whole world expect to save football. the heir to ronaldinho's throne not only as the catalan hero but the world's greatest player. at 17, surely this is expectation beyond messi, yet he does have plenty talent, and plenty talent around him to simultaneously attract and deflect the media's gaze. and then, there's sergio aguero, whom i won't speak much on simply because the boy is barely 16 and will for all likelihoods not go to germany, but is already, believe it or not, hailed as leo messi's successor. absolutely ridiculous but still, lots of fun.

but back to adults - argentina's wingers look like a shadow of their central midfield counterparts. players like luis gonzales, mario santana and juliano galletti do not share the fame of kily gonzales, yet in june, are likely to share a flight with the seasoned wide man to germany. these wingers, tested at the confederations cup last year, looked out of sorts and underwhelming, and it is pekerman's challenge to construct a workable midfield four that is at once balanced, on form and of the quality you'd expect. yet, argentina's midfield, while arguably not as strong as brazil's has more depth, and has adequate replacement in every position.

Crespo is finally out of Batistuta's shadow

Up front argentina have in hernan crespo a striker who's spent the last two world cups in the shadow of batistuta and the dugout ceiling. his patience has finally paid off, with the little finisher firmly first choice, and rightly so. crespo's fame needs no extending, and the striker who seems to do little but score unfashionable goals will hope to finally make his mark at the highest stage.

while crespo is quietly effective, his strike partner carlos teves is the one with edge-of-the-seat appeal. teves is argentina's wonderkid from two years ago, when he set the world alight en-route to an Olympic gold medal. teves, who plies his trade in corinthians, is widely acknowledged as the best player in brazil, which says much about his continental reputation. a strong, robust but small striker, teves posesses a shot as mean as his looks, is a threat from free kicks, can dribble astutely, and has an eye for goal that should make him a darling of the world cup.

Can Pekerman turn boys into men overnight?

the final analysis for this nation of humongous talent is this: that inexperience and youth might stumble them while precocious ability and promise might make them the team of the tournament. argentina's international form has been patchy, and pekerman's failure to get the best out of the best has been frustrating. but pekerman's boys have always been big tournament players, as evidenced by the two junior world cups and the olympic gold medal. the question is: will senior success follow so soon?

argentina's campaign will be challenged first by a powerhouse group consisting Holland, Serbia & Montenegro (that's former Yugoslavia, to those who think they're nobodies), and Ivory Coast. apart from the curious chelsea link (crespo, robben, drogba and formerly kezman), this dangerous group will test argentina's beguiling form by fire. just one indifferent outing against a wrong opposition can spell doom in a group so tight - still, all moneys will be on argentina to top the group, ahead of a new look Holland. the tie with the dutch certainly features as the tournament's most highly anticipated first round clash.

Argentina have a slew of world cup enemies in their half of the draw

Progressing thereon, they are likely to meet either mexico or portugal, following which a likely quarter final against either england or germany is likely. with heaps of world cup history between argentina and all of holland, england and germany, the albiceleste will have to settle lots of scores before they can get their hands on the top prize.

Likely stars:

Teves
Potentially a major star, not just for argentina, but of the entire tournament. Teves will be sure to underline his status as the rightful heir of maradonna's no 10 shirt. this is his first senior tournament, and one suspects it takes only one goal to set him off on another confident streak.

Riquelme
Much of argentina's hopes will rest on this creative force, who is enigmatic in his ability to appear and disappear from games. Great technique and ability, but might find life hard against strong and physical europeans. Still, Riquelme has the ability to make any defence look silly.

Messi
Perhaps too young to be counted on to star, but messi has the talent and reputation to do what a young michael owen did in france 98. Don't count on too many starts for this teenager, but when he does come on, count on.

Trivia:

Most likely to beat up a referee: Take your pick... it could be anyone. Ultimately, you'd expect Sorin to lead by example =)

Most likely to miss in a penalty in a shootout: Riquelme, in a repeat of his champions league semifinal fluff.

Most likely to get a bigger contract after the tournament: Teves. Barcelona, Madrid, Juventus, Milan, Chelsea... the Corinthian door will be rammed down as soon as the world cup is over. The best player in Brazil won't be an Argentine for long.

Most likely to retire after the tournament: Ayala. Argentina have tons of younger, faster centrebacks waiting in line, and this should be his international swansong.

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Team Profile: Italy

Everybody know Italians are amongst the most stylish peoples on earth. Italian clothes, leather goods, furniture, cars, opera and food are synonymous with flair, refinement and elegance. Why then is Italian football the exception to this rule?

Probably because of that other defining stereotype of Italians: corruption. Italians are all too familiar with the shady backroom dealings that characterised business, politics and pretty much every area of public life, football included. As a consequence Italians readily subscribe to conspiracy theories to account for the misfortunes of their club or national sides. This in turn breeds an intense cynicism; why commit to a positive attacking approach and fair play when negative defensive tactics and gamesmanship will do? Hence the infamous Italian fondness for the catenaccio (padlock) system and on the field theatrics.

Bore-factor aside, the Italian league was indisputably the world's top league for much of the 80s and 90s. Indeed, there were few players outside Serie A (with the exception of Liverpool and Johan Cruyff's Barcelona) who could genuinely be considered amongst the best in the world alongside Maradona, Baggio, Weah, Baresi, Platini, Van Basten, Gullit, Maldini, Batistuta et al. However domestic excellence has rarely translated into international success. Italy have won 3 world cups, but only one in the modern era (1982), and lost in two finals which they never looked likely to win. As with England, the economic and media power of Italy’s domestic league has tended to inflate the expectations for its national side beyond their capacity to deliver.

But enough history and anthropology, how are Azzurri 2006 likely to do?

This being calcio, it all starts at the back. Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro are, by reputation, two of the best centre-backs in the world, but bear in mind these reputations are forged largely in a league where anything more than two goals is considered a deluge. In European and international competition their records are less distinguished. Fullback Gianluca Zambrotta is an exceptional athlete, equally at home on either flank. In goal will probably be Gianluigi Buffon, capable of the kind of saves one would expect of a keeper who cost ₤32m as well as the kind of howlers one would expect of David James.

Midfield is probably the area where Italy compare least favourably with the other fancied teams. The Milan pair of Gatusso and Pirlo are admired; the former for his tireless grafting, the latter for his elegant passing; but neither is in the class of a Viera, Lampard, Gerrard, Kaka, Ballack to name a few of the midfield leaders of their main rivals. Roma’s Daniele De Rossi is the young hope. Italian football has never produced great wide players, instead favouring ball winners who provide a platform for a fantasista playmaker of the likes of Baggio, Mancini or Riva. True to tradition, this Italian squad doesn't contain a Figo, Beckham or Robben, the closest probably being adopted Argentine Mauro Camoranesi.

Upfront, Italy will wait on the fitness of Francesco Totti, for more on him see the “Star Player” profile below. Failing that Italy will probably turn to, for the umpteenth time, Alessandro Del Piero. The last time Del Piero resembled a world class player was some time before World Cup '98, since then his career has been a Fowler-like series of injuries, comebacks and inconsistent form. Both Luca Toni and Alberto Gilardino are quality centre-forwards, who should be able to find the net given adequate service. The less said about Christian Vieri the better.













Two players who could make a big impact are ones who don't look as if they will be going to Germany. Antonio Cassano was Italy's best forward at Euro 2004 and the one player apart from Totti who can give Italy a real spark upfront. Unfortunately this is only when he is not injured, sulking, out of favour or in dispute with coach, which is rarely. He is currently occupying the bench seat vacated by Michael Owen at the footballing farce otherwise known as Real Madrid, and Lippi has already indicated Cassano probably won't be in the squad. The other is Pippo Inzaghi, who spend most of the last 2 years injured but has recently returned with a brace of goals for Milan. Is this the Pippo of old? Well, the Pippo of old was never good at anything but scoring tap-ins; in this respect he's back as good as ever.

Coach Marcello Lippi is best known for his success at Juventus and lack of it at Inter. He has shown that, given plenty of money and the some of the best players in the world (Zidane, Nedved, Del Piero circa 1997), he can get results. Yet despite a clutch of scudettos, he only won one Champion's League title, his Juventus teams often coming up short under pressure, most memorably against Manchester United in the '99 semi-final. He’s a Sven-like manager, who’s strength is less a capacity for inspiring oratory or tactical innovation than a becalmed manner and the savvy to manage the big talents and bigger egos of top level football. Unlike Trappatoni before him, Lippi will get most of the potential from this Italian squad; the question is will that be enough?

Basically Italy's World Cup chances will come down to how well its defence does at keeping goals out and how well their forwards do scoring them. This may not seem very enlightening, but for all its supposed tactical subtleties, Italian football basically boils down to that. Can they win? The words "Greece" and "Euro 2004" are applicable, but then again they would be if this were the profile for Togo or Paraguay. More realisticaly, Italy have to be rated behind, obviously, Brazil, but also England, Argentina and France.
















Italy have been drawn with the Czech Republic, Ghana and the USA. Should they top their group, by no means a certainty due to the Czechs, they should avoid Brazil in the second round, but will probably have to face France in the subsequent one. The worst scenario for Italy would see them facing Brazil in round two, France in the quarters and then England and Argentina in the semis and the final. This probably won't happen, but along with the game against the Czechs, Italy should expect to face at least 3 severe tests while plotting their path to glory.

They have enough quality upfront to give them a lead and enough quality at the back to hold it; that's plan A. The problem for Italian football has always been lack of a plan B in the event of plan A not working; the second round defeat to South Korea last time round and Milan's Champions League Final loss to Liverpool being examples. It's in these situations that Italy seem to lack the driving presence of a Gerrard or a Ronaldinho, someone who will grab the game by the proverbial scruff of the neck and haul them back from the brink of defeat.

I suspect Italy's chances may well hinge on Totti's form and fitness. The last time an Italian fantasista bloomed was in '94, when Baggio took them to within a penalty shootout of winning. This team is not as good as the one of '94, the competition is probably tougher and Totti hasn't yet shown he's capable of emulating Baggio on the most elevated stage.

You could see Italy beating any one of the more fancied teams, but to win they will probably have to pull off two, maybe three, upsets, and probably come from behind at some stage. Don’t look for them to do so.

Star Player: Francesco Totti.



Like all the greatest Italian players, Totti's game is based on guile and subtlety rather than speed and power. He may not have the explosive pace of an Henry or Ronaldo, but the Roma captain's importance to his national side arguably exceeds either's. If his touch and vision are not quite the equal of Baggio's, his aggression and hunger for goals are greater. While the Buddhist Baggio strolled across the pitch with a Zen-like serenity, Totti looks for the ball whenever it's in the opponent's half and shoots for goal more readily. When presented with an opportunity, he's as likely to go for a measured lob as he is to blast it. Such is his goalscoring prowess and creative energy that the debate still rages whether he is better deployed as a striker dropping deep or as a midfield playmaker operating behind the frontmen. He fractured an ankle while guiding Roma to a record 10 straight league wins, but figures to be fit in time for Germany.

As with Alan Shearer, Totti will probably end his career with far fewer medals than his talents and efforts deserve due to his loyalty to his hometown team. Nevertheless he is, with the possible exceptions of Milan's Kaka and Shevchenko, probably the best player in Serie A. Italy's current golden boy, he has decisively seen off Del Piero for both that title and the coveted Azzurri No.10 shirt.

For all that, at international level his performances have been underwhelming, particularly in the last two big tournaments when the nation's hopes were pinned on him. To flop in one major tournament is unfortunate, to flop in two is a mistake; a third failure will probably have Italians looking for a new golden boy. Totti is the undisputed Emperor of Rome; he now has to conquer the world.

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The 23 Man Dillema (Pt 3)

And then everyone got sick.

Down on their knees: spain's recurring injury problem

For the many bearing the hopes of espana, you'd forgive them for thinking that the rain in spain falls mainly on their world cup players. raul, vicente, xavi, valeron, these are some of the names that might be missing from the spanish first xi when june rolls along. in fact, so uncanny are all four injuries that spanish coach luis aragones must be cursing the god of cruciate ligaments (if there ever was one), because all four key players have damaged cruciate ligaments.

raul's and valeron's are in the left knee, xavi's is in the right, and vicente's is in his ankle. the spanish press are anxiously awaiting signs of comeback while the fans are distrought. aragones meanwhile, says he can only wait and see if his players improve. but are there any positive signs? raul has returned to training but is struggling for fitness - as a striker, loss of sharpness in front of goal will also be a worry. xavi, who has been the longest out among the four, is apparently close to training again.

Vicente: close to training or shattered world cup dream?

while raul and xavi spot possible comebacks, reports on vicente range from the succulently optimistic "should return to training soon" to the dramatic hopelessness of "world cup dream over". but valeron, the least vital of the four (though undoubtedly still important), is the one in the tunnel with the least light. with the wealth of attacking midfielders in spain, valeron's whopping 8 month layoff not only ends his world cup hopes completely, but it could also mean the beginning of the end for the 30 year old's international career. already, earlier this month, aragones has named five new faces in the spanish squad for a get together. the boss, it seems, is preparing for the worst.

Messi: from uncapped last year to injury worry of the year

Across the atlantic (what the heck am i saying, it's in La Liga itself), argentina are finding themselves in a similar situation to their hispanic cousins. in what is perhaps the most hyped up injury of this world cup outside england, barcelona wonderkid leo messi has just returned to argentina for treatment on his hamstrings. meanwhile, argentina fans worldwide storm online football forums to talk about their fear of losing this precocious talent. on one hand, this says plenty about messi's rise to stardom, yet one cannot help but wonder how fragile the argentine faith is when it now seems like the fate of their nation's world cup lies in the feet of a 17 year old who one year ago, had not earned his first full cap.

Aimar has a serious cold

perhaps a more respectful injury to sweat so much about would be pablo aimar's. the nippy attacking midfielder is suffering from a viral meningitis, or what hopeful fans refer to in their forum posts as "a serious cold". like spain's vicente, aimar's media diagnosis runs from 10 days to "the end of the season". another player injured is luciano figueroa. the river plate striker featured heavily in argentina's confederations cup run last year, and was largely expected to figure in the world cup as well. but an injury in early march (cruciate left knee ligament again!) has ruled him out entirely from world cup reckoning. will argentina miss the prolific strikerate of young figueroa? at 12 goals in 20 games, one suspects they will.

so the hospital beds are filled up, the physio rooms are booked out, and the names on the team sheets have been crossed out time and again. spain and argentina have great talent on the pitch, but perhaps what they need now are good doctors.

*

As world cup selection draws ever nearer, the tension between players who are desperate, players who are injured, fans who are going crazy and superstars who are snubbed all pivot on the one man: the manager. between today and 19 May, men like marcello lippi, raymond domenech and luis aragones have crucial decisions to make - in most cases, these decisions are extremely vital, and can separate an ordinary tournament from world cup glory.

23 men, six weeks, one deadline.

who will be at the world cup?

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Team Profile: England

Probable Starting XI: Robinson, A. Cole, Neville, Terry, Ferdinand, Gerrard, Lampard, J. Cole, Beckham (c), Rooney, Owen

England faces probably their best chance to win an international tournament since Euro 96. With an ideal mix of young and veteran players, it is arguable that England has the right balance to lift the cup in 2006. The fact that this World Cup will be played on European soil increases the likelihood that England could well turn out to be the winners this time around. The challenger for the departing Swede coach Sven-Goran Eriksson would be to harness the abundance of talent available at his disposable, into an effective tournament-winning unit. The point of contention would be to nurture the world-class midfield consisting of ChelseaÂ’s talismanic attacking midfielder Frank Lampard and talented and fast improving left-winger Joe Cole, LiverpoolÂ’s European conquering captain and current PFA Player of the Year Steven Gerrard, and of course, captain David Beckham into a cohesive one. The defense, led by John Terry looks solid enough and Paul Robinson has finally assured the Three Lion faithful that David Seaman has been properly replaced. So if Owen can overcome the foot injury curse that has plagued England at the preparation of every tournament, England should certainly be there when the dust settles.

Likely Stars:




Wayne Rooney
England's fate hangs on the shoulders of the dynamic 20-year old yet again. Onus is on him to ignite England's hopes of lifting the cup. His form is peaking just about right at the moment. If he can stay fit, should trouble any defence in the world.







David Beckham
England's skipper has been said to be a big match player. It really does not get bigger than this. At age 30, this is arguably his last realistic chance to lift the cup as an active member of the squad






Frank Lampard
Probably one of the best attacking midfielders in the world at the moment. Absolutely lethal 15 yards out, Lampard has scored a glut of goals for Chelsea this season.Bet is on him to reproduce thascoringng rate for his country.



Trivia:

Most likely to beat up a referee: Rooney - In fact, he also is most likely to beat up a fan, water boy, ball boy, parking lot attendant etc.

Most likely to miss in a penalty in a shootout: Take your pick - Why not start with who isn't going to miss. It's probably easier.

Most likely to get a bigger contract after the tournament: Joe Cole - An European giant should come in for him if he does well enough. Real Madrid might be a possibility. Who else could afford to offer more than Chelsea but them? Or maybe even Campbell. If he can get on a plane and get into a bloodied mess, say against Brazil. Managers love the blood-wearing Terry Butcher kind. Says quite a bit about on-field commitment apparently.

Most likely to retire after the tournament: Beckham - Finally realizes that captaining other people is not the same as ordering his kids around. Retires from international football to concentrate on pop star career.

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The 23 Man Dillema (Pt 2)

Elsewhere, everyone's fighting with everyone. players fighting with players, managers fighting with fans, players calling managers blind and managers picking players for all the wrong reasons. for france, germany and two argentines, this world cup run-in seems like a big saga of runs-in.

The trend is for talented French players to miss the world cup because of fighting with the coach. 15 years ago, this was eric cantona's story. then it was david ginola. then it was nicolas anelka. a couple of years ago, it was robert pires, and now, it's ludovic giuly. giuly has come out to publicly attack raymond domenech for ignoring him in spite of the fact that he is holding his own alongside ronaldinho in the mighty barcelona's attacking midfield lineup. and in all fairness, domenech's wisdom does seem ill-placed: at a time when the french are faltering, he continues to pick uncapped youngsters in giuly's position instead of the experienced winger.

Blind man with loud enemies

still, giuly isn't alone. fellow midfielder johan micoud has also come out to slate his manager, calling domenech "the blind man" for failing to see the work of werder bremen's no 10. it's ridiculous, but of course, they're the french! they are supposed to fight with their managers, and call them stupid names for not picking them. it's like a tradition, some french festival celebrated once every two years just before a major football tournament.

Is the dortmund crowd picking the german team?

but spats abound, and host nation germany aren't spared of it either. in fact, jurgen klinnsmann has had to fight off any number of bickerings, from members of parliament wanting tactical explanations from klinnsmann to the kahn v lehmann wars, and now to a certain issue of borussia dortmund. it seems that in germany, the definitive fan stadium is not the olympic stadium in munich, it's the westfalen stadion in dortmund. the dortmund fans are fanatical. not just that, but the westfalen stadion is the only stadium in which germany has not lost a qualifier or friendly. and what does this have to do with klinnsmann's selection? cue christian woerns.

germany's veteran defender is a fan favourite in dortmund, where he plies his trade, and an uproar happened when klinnsmann announced that woerns would have no part to play in the world cup. to be fair, klinnsmann has his reasons - in a bid to rejuvinate his squad with attacking minded players (even centrebacks), mr jurgen favours the likes of philip lahm and per mertesacker, players whom he believes can start attacks and play a bit of football. and you can't really fault him for trying. but his relationship with the dortmund fans has been frayed, and in a recent friendly, klinnsmann is said to have selected another dortmund defender sebastian kehl simply to avoid getting booed off the westfalen stadion. will kehl make it to the world cup? if he does, on what grounds? we certainly know what ground - the westfalen stadion!

Sorin cries blood for Argentina

and then over in argentina, yet another kind of war is raging. captain juan pablo sorin and midfield failure juan sebastian veron have been going at it of late. the facts are that veron hasn't played for argentina since jose pekerman became manager and made sorin captain. the only person who seems to think it is sorin's fault is veron himself (the rest of the world knows that veron just can't play anymore). and so ensues the war of words that culminates in the recent champions league quarterfinal clash between inter milan (veron) and villarreal (sorin), during which veron threw in a crude challenge on sorin that left sorin with a cut eye, and the pair had to be separated before entering the dugout later.

it doesn't take a genius to know which one of sorin and veron is going to germany, so veron's reaction just appears to just be frustration, lack of professionalism and - to some - just plain bad argentinian streak.

but it makes you wonder - is this whole world cup selection thing driving everyone crazy? will the next month see more ridiculous actions from players, managers and even fans alike? some wait, some watch, and then some go mental.

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The 23 Man Dillema (Pt 1)

Today marks one month before all the 23 man world cup squads will be fully submitted. a few managers could as easily name their squads today - but for most, it's going to be a very fast 30 days before they put surnames to paper. and for some players, their time is fast running out.

Take Italy's opportunistic striker Pippo Inzaghi, for instance. his resurgent form for AC Milan could not have come at a better time. Scoring not only regularly, but very important goals in Europe must surely boost his cv ahead of world cup selection. still, an inzaghi selection remains unlikely, with marcelo lippi preferring gilardino, toni, totti, del piero, and even iaquinta and lucarelli ahead of the veteran number 9.

Superpippo super too late?

If anything, Superpippo can take comfort from an English striker rowing the same boat: Robbie Fowler (see story below). Both have heaps of experience, can score goals late in the game, were once superstar finishers, and are both running out of time to impress their managers.

Another Italian who is likely to be flying on his own credit card - in fact more likely - is the petulant Antonio Cassano. For the largest part of the season, the former Roma forward was out of action in the capital not because of injury but over a wage row. Having swapped capitals for Madrid, he is still underutilised while he battles to regain fitness and shed some weight. But more than just being a battle for fitness and sharpness, Cassano is a much disliked character in Italy - not just by the fans but also by members of the azzuri first XI. will lippi gamble with this precocious talent, and risk fracturing italy's fragile tournament psyche?

Living legend battles fitness

Over in Brazil, a legitimate legend is fighting a legitimate battle for a place in the team. World Cup winning (and lifting) captain Cafu has been sidelined since February after a keyhole surgery on his left knee. Milan insiders claim that he is soon to return, but will he make it in time to warrant a place with the world champions? most managers, with the buffer of a fit and young cicinho, might gamble on bringing a less fit, a lot less young cafu as right back cover, especially as his leadership and experience might prove vital: he, along with a then-teenager Ronaldo, is the sole surviving member of the world cup winning squad from 1994.

A pitbull among many running dogs

Another team with possible big names missing is Holland. Ever since Marco van Basten's reign began, the Dutch side has become populated not with the stars of europe's best teams but with a sizeable contingent from the Erividesie itself. to most of us, names like Boulahrouz, Landzaat and Huntelaar don't yet roll of the tongue, but it is this lot of underexposed players who have been churning out result after result for van Basten.

His notable snubbing of Barcelona's van Bommel in his early reign has since provided some hope to the others, as the midfielder increasingly finds himself a likely soldier in the orange army this june. but van Bommel's gain might just be edgar davids' loss. the bespectacled one has found himself shrugged off van Basten's plans in spite of Tottenham's great run in the Premiership. Roy Makaay, the Bayern striker, too has found himself out of contention. With Holland boasting forward men like van Nistelrooy, Dirk Kuijt, Robben and van der Vaart, Makaay is perhaps the most obvious peel off van Basten's orange.

For every manager who's made his mind up, there's are players already nursing hearbreak. But for the next month, many an undecided boss will cast an ever eager eye on the many leagues, studying their shortlisted players, who will no doubt be wanting to peak now. for these players, there is still hope, where hope is as simple as 30 sleepless nights.

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Robbie for England?

It seems bloody simple. With Fowler scoring his second match-winning goal for Liverpool over the weekend, I am surprised no one has hankered on Sven to take him to the land of large sausages. It's pretty hard to Google a decent picture of Robbie in an England shirt because he hardly wore one to be honest. He exploded as a lethal finisher somewhere between the Shearer/Sheringham partnership and Owen's meteoric rise. Which really did not leave much elbow space for Robbie to exert his influence as an England starter. You bloody well knew that as soon as Owen scored that goal in 98 against the Argies that he would be putting on the number 10 shirt until he starts having bowel control problems, regardless that Golden Balls lost that match for them with his impatience.

But with England having a minor striking crisis ahead of the World Cup, Robbie could well be the obvious answer. Owen is struggling to be fit and could end up being a Beckham-like passenger ala 2002 come June. Crouch, while tall, ganggly and frankly hillarious looking, looks a lot more like a 101 England sub rather than the new Shearer. Defoe has gotten used to sitting on a bench, taking sips from water bottles occasionally and cheering when someone else scores. So that leaves Rooney, and really, no one else which puts England in a terrible position because you never know when that little heckler is going to turn around and slap the referee.

Robbie's a natural goalscorer. He has had one too many fish and chips in the last couple of years or so but he is starting to sharpen up from his pudgy phase again. And best of all, he is hitting form two months before the tournament, which sits heck of a pretty in terms of the ability to plug into gear and play well.

Robbie Robbie Robbie

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World Cup Memories: Voeller and Rijkaard spitfest

Match: Germany v Holland
Stage: Italia 90 Second Round

Holland are the flair team of the tournament, boasting the milan trinity of gullit, van basten and rijkaard. Germany are the impressive team of the tournament, boasting the inter trio of matthaeus, klinnsmann and brehme. the rivalry is epic.

But fresh in the 22nd minute, it happens. A goalmouth incident results in rudi voeller spitting at dutch goalkeeper hans van breukelen. as the ensuing altercation appears to fizzle, dutchman rijkaard spits back at voeller, which leads to even more scuffling.

Both players get red cards. for voeller, it was just a blip in a successful tournament. for rijkaard, it was go home.

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Defending champions lose their right

On june 9, germany will play costa rica and get the world cup going. everyone will tune in, and they will all be clueless. they don't know that it should be a brazil game.

why isn't the world cup kicked off by the defending champions anymore? what happeneed to the time-honoured tradition of having the champions defend their title by starting the competition? i believe this is a sad turn, and marks the end of a wonderful chapter in world cup history.

opening matches often pit big teams against small teams, and every once in a while, we get some amazing giant slaying. it all adds to the fun of the world cup. the pressure has to be on the defending champions to perform. that's what makes the world cup tick.

Cameroon beat champions Argentina in 1990

who can forget francis omam biyik putting one past neri pumpido as cameroon shocked argentina in the opening game of italia 90? that was a major classic that went on to seal cameroon as the definitive african team to watch.

Senegal shock champions France in 2002

and who can forget pape bouba diop tucking one past fabien barthez in the opening of the last world cup, when senegal shocked france? that game, like its 1990 cousin, put senegal firmly on the footballing world map.

now having written four paragraphs on this, it now hits me - it's because the champions aren't given automatic qualification anymore. and so, it is not a necessary thing that the champions will be there to kick the world cup off. oh but the hosts will. no matter how unfashionable they mayt be. the next world cup will probably be kicked off with a south africa v saudi arabia game, if the luck of the draw will have it. imagine the tv screens tuned in for that one. major bloody yawn.

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Keep on faking: FIFA

Amid calls for tougher action on the glut of cheating in football, FIFA have yet again slammed the door shut on video evidence, leaving important decisions in the hands of fallible referees.

Fifa rejects FA plan to trap divers

Fifa has ruled out allowing video evidence to be used retrospectively to punish players who dive.
The Football Association's chief executive, Brian Barwick, had written to the game's world governing body asking for video evidence to be used, but Fifa will not allow this. A Fifa statement said that it "strongly opposes any kind of cheating action, including diving, which goes against the spirit of fair play... although a disciplinary committee may rectify serious and obviously incorrect decisions taken by a referee, particularly regarding disciplinary sanctions, a referee's discretionary decision cannot be classed as such".

Fifa pointed out that rules to punish diving already exist, and referees should caution any players they believe have dived. Referees at this summer's World Cup will be asked to crack down on offenders.

Click here for original story from The Independent Online.

Anyone who watches league football knows that the odd yellow card is not going to curb the advent of diving. The situation has gotten so bad that managers and players, along with referees, have been dragged through the sludge of this shameful trend, and nobody knows how to stop it. Referees complain that players spend 90 minutes trying to con them into wrong decisions. Players complain that bad decisions are made. Managers complain that their players don't get protection. It's all an absolute farce.

So in should come FIFA to solve the problem. It's actually very easy - get a panel of referees and ex players to study these "dives", make a call on it, and ban the offending players for a few games each time it happens. it's bound to clean the game up.

But no. it's always no. FIFA have come out with their usual drivel, about the discretion of the referee, about existing systems and about how the next world cup will see the most effective implementation of sporting judiciary. well, BOLLOCKS TO THAT, SEPP BLATTER.

I said it before, and i'll repeat it: your lack of commitment to clean up the game via new technology is costing you credibility. No wonder cosnpiracy theorists come out and say you rig the game.

I do not believe for one second that FIFA are interested in the clean image of football.

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