Sweet Wisdom

This group is composed of some very interesting teams, and the final outcome of the group at the end of stage-one seems pretty clear, but not quite clear enough. One of the best teams to never win the world cup, the Oranje, will most likely come out as the number one of this group, and it would appear as the Cameroon will be able to take the second seed and proceed to the next round, but the challenges that will be put up by very talented Danish side and Asia's powerhouse Japan cannot be ignored.

Roar of African Lions!

Arguably the strongest African nation in this tournament, Cameroon is hoping to carry the hopes of the continent onto the Round of 16. Composed of very talented players, they have the best record in the World Cup history amongst African nations, and they are willing to perform the best again in their mother-continent. All of the atmosphere surrounding South Africa will make these lions to roar even louder than ever before.

Player to Watch: Samuel ETO'O (FW) - This former Barcelona striker, once again, had a very successful year with his new club Inter Milan, winning the tremble. Now, he is ready to show off his world-class talent on the biggest stage of all, to represent his country.

Expected Result: Quarter-Finals

Last of the Vikings

Denmark is the only Scandinavian country to have advanced to World Cup 2010, and they are here to show everything they have! This team might not have as many "well-known" players on the squad compared to some of their competitors in the group as well as in the tournament, but they have many young talents who are rising to the challenge, and their qualifier stage proved that this team is not to be taken lightly. However, it does not seem likely that they are ready to shine this year. They are going to fall a little bit short to their top competitors and most likely going to remain on the third spot of the group.

Player to Watch: Nicklas BENDTNER (FW) - This young striker from Arsenal is a rising star for both his club and for his country. He had a very successful club with one of the English giants this year, and now he is ready to show himself to the world on the biggest stage of all.

Expected Result: Group Stage

Pride of the Samurais

Apart from the host nation, Japan was the very first country to advance to the World Cup 2010 taking an early first place from their group in Asia. However there remains a question as to if this Japanese squad is good enough to advance to the next round, there is also a question as to if this sqaud is even as good as their past squads. Surely, they do have a few talented players on the team but, especially as their recent results have shown, this team is not quite prepared enough for this tournament, and they will most likely taken an early flight back to their island.

Player to Watch: Shunsuke NAKAMURA (MF) - The Japanese #10 is not new to this stage, and he has had his share of competing against some of the world class players. His time as a Celtic in Scottish Premier League was probably the highlight of his career, and we'll see if he can bring the same light to his international career this time around.

Expected Result: Group Stage

The Oranje

Netherlands is one of those teams that were always considered as a heavy favorite going into the world cup yet never victorious. They are once again entering the tournament with abundunce of talented players on their side. I mean, where do I even start? Experience defender Giovanni Van Bronchost? A powerful captain Van Bommel? Dirk Kuyt? Wesley Schneider? There are just so many of them. However, they always had talented squads yet failed to show all of their worth, and it might just be the case that the history will repeat itself. Especially now with the possibility of their star player Arjen Robben, due to a hamstring injury.

Player to Watch: Robin VAN PERSIE (FW) - This Dutch striker had a very successful season with Arsenal, until he received a serious injury. However, he started to make recovery and now he's fitter than ever to compete. This player will be deadly from any areas within and surrounding the penalty box, and all the defenders should watch out for him.

Expected Result: Quarter-Finals


Match-Ups:
NED vs DEN - 3:1
JPN vs CMR- 0:2
NED vs JPN - 4:0
CMR vs DEN - 2:1
DEN vs JPN - 2:0
CMR vs NED- 1:2

Team	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Netherlands	3	0	0	9	2	7	9
Cameroon	2	0	1	5	3	2	6
Denmark	1	0	2	4	5	-1	3
Japan	0	0	3	0	8	-8	0

The competition in this group will be interesting to watch. While it seems like there is a prominent presence of Germany that could overwhelm their competitors, the other three cannot be underestimated. Since being part of AFC, Australia has become a strong force in Asia. They did not face too much difficulties in qualifying to the World Cup, and considering their last performance on this stage, it appears that they are not to be taken lightly in this group. Serbia is one of those European countries that have to live under the shadow of a few other powerhouses of Europe, but when the right opportunity comes along, oh boy they will shine! Ghana is also a strong African nation composed of quite a few players playing in the big leagues, and they are not to be overlooked either.

Soccer-oos!

In 2006, the Aussies returned to the big stage for the first time in 34 years, and their performance was definitely something they could be satisfied with. Ever since then, they never slowed down their gear and started preparing strongly for the next opportunity, and they succeeded without too much trouble. This is a fairly well experienced team led by veterans Tim Cahill (MF) and Mark Schwarzer (GK). However, their chances of advancing to the Round of 16 does not look too bright as they were put into the other 'group of death' in this World Cup. (The most obvious one being Group G)

Player to Watch: Harry KEWELL (FW) - This well experienced former Liverpool striker was the most integral part of Australia's offense in 2006 World Cup, and he will be, once again, for this tournament. His ability to strike might not be as sharp as it once used to be, but he is not to be taken lightly by any of the defenders in this group.

Expected Result: Group Stage

Not Quite There Yet!

The three-time champions, Germany, is always a force to be reckoned, and in recent tournaments, they have been proving their name-value. However, they were always just a little bit off from taking home their fourth trophy. In 2002, after a fantastic run, with the help from their MVP goalie - Oliver Kahn, they had to settle for the runner-up position as they fell powerlessly to the greatest soccer nation - Brazil. 2006 was not too different. Until they reached the semi-finals, their performance was fantastic. Well, in all honesty, their performance in their match agasint Italy was fantastic as well, they were just out-performed by their opponent who eventually became the Champions. So, how will they perform this year? They are still very much a strong team, and there are a few returning players from 2006, and some from 2002 such as their top scorer in the World Cup, Mirsolav Klose. However, they were dealt a deadly blow when it was announced that their captain, Michael Ballack, will not be joining to due to a serious injury he picked during English FA Cup. They are most likely to advance from this group, but we'll have to wait and see how they will be able to perform once they get out of the group stage.

Player to Watch: Philipp LHAM (DF) - This Bayern Munich left-back was a crucial part of Germany's defence (and offence occassionally), and he will definitely need to perform at his top level once again if Germany wishes to win this tournament. I love him, because while he is a good defender, he can also be so quick in the transition to offence. In addition, he can also score, when he needs to. It is a joy to watch this little guy running up and down the entire field!

Expected Result: Quarter-Finals

No Essien!

Ghana was the first African nation to advance to the World Cup (well next to South Africa, but they technically did not 'advance') and they were also considered, by many, to be the other nation to advance from this group along with Germany [despite the tough competition]. However, I think this strong African nation will not be able to meet that expectation, and many of the fans' expectations were lowered as well when it was announced that their star midfielder Michael Essien will not be joining the team due to his injury. It is true that Ghana still has many players who play in the top class clubs in Europe, but the presence of Essien, or lack of it, will hugely influence them and their performance. If it was any other group, then they still might be able to get by, but considering the nature of this group being so competitive, even the smallest damage can deal a huge blow; and that is what I expect to see.

Player to Watch: Sulley MUNTARI (MF) - This midfileder had a successful season with his club team, Inter Milan, who became the UEFA Champions League champions. He is very powerful in keeping the midfield area strong for Ghana, and he did a great job doing it in 2006 as well. We will just have to wait and see how much he can do without his collegue Essien on the field.

Expected Result: Group Stage

White Eagles Will Fly

Serbia is not exactly a new comer to the World Cup, as the matter of fact you could consider them a veteran who already has 10-previous appearances (as Yugoslavia, and Serbia and Montenegro). They proved themselves to be worthy of entering this tournament by coming out first in their qualifying group stage after beating the 2010 runner-ups, France. They have a number of extremly talented players on the squad. An experience Inter Milan midfielder, Dejan Stankovic, along with Milan Jovanovic will lead their midfield to provide the right support for their forwards. They were put in a tough group, but they most certainly have the ability to fight through it and fly into the Round of 16.

Player to Watch: Nemanja VIDIC (DF) - This player's name should not be unfamiliar to you if you are a football fan and if you follow either the English Premier League or just European Soccer leagues in general. This world-class defender from Manchester United have had quite a bit of success with his club team and he made tremendous amount of contributions. It is now time for him to see if he can do the same for this mother nation!

Expected Result: Round of 16

Match-Ups:
GER vs AUS - 3:1
SRB vs GHA- 1:0
GER vs SRB - 2:1
GHA vs AUS - 2:1
GHA vs GER - 0:2
AUS vs SRB- 1:1

Team	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Germany	3	0	0	7	2	5	9
Serbia	1	1	1	3	3	0	4
Ghana	1	0	2	2	4	-2	3
Australia	0	1	2	3	6	-3	1

Making predictions for this group is not too much of trouble, at least on the surface value, it is pretty straight forward. There is a team that clearly appears to be the strongest within the group, and there is a team that clearly appears to be the weakest among them. As for the second advancement spot from this group, it is not too hard to determine who will take it, even though it could 'potentially' be contended. So, without even getting into too much analysis, the following conclusion can be made: 1) England 2) USA 3) Slovenia 4) Algeria.

Not Such A Great Come-Back

For the first time in 24 years Algeria is making a come-back to the biggest stage for the sport. However, the odds of them advancing to the next stage seems to be next to none. The worse part is, it is not because they were simply put in the worst group, it is just because they are not prepared enough for this stage. They have suffered 3-consecutive losses leading up to the tournament, until they barely beat UAE. It is a good thing they are not entering South Africa with a losing streak, but can they compete against the other three teams? Only time will tell. One interesting fact is that Algeria has never played against any of the teams in their group, so maybe there are rooms for surprises [no matter how small].

Player to Watch: Karim ZIANI (MF) - This midfielder from Wolfsburg can be really dangerous when he is given some spaces in their attacking half. Ziani can provide some deadly balls to his forwards that can be easily convereted into a goal or two.

Expected Result: Group Stage

Heart Of A Lion

Will the drought be finally over for the mother nation of football? Hopefully! The last time England won the World Cup was in 1966, and that was also their only victory. Ever since then, England's performance has been, not disastrous, rather "never-good-enough-for-first". However, if any year was going to be theirs, this might be the closest one. Led by a true world-class coach Fabio Capello, this Englad team is determined to bring the gold back to the country it belongs to. The overall team composition looks great especially with fantastic midfielders who are capable of being both the spear and the shield. Also, you can never leave out the striking force of Wayne Rooney who. still at a young age, is one of the best players in the world. They should not have too much trouble advancing out of this group, and their chances for the gold does not look too bad either.

Player to Watch: John TERRY (DF) - With the recent injury to the captain Rio Ferdinand, England is in some serious trouble in terms of their defence. This is where Chelsea's captain - John Terry - will have to step it up and maintain a strong wall of defence to protect the goal from any of their opponents. He is definitely one of the best defenders in the world, it's time for him to prove his worth.

Expected Result: Semi-Finals (3rd place)

Barely Made It! Can They Barely Make It Again?

Slovenia is not exactly a team I am too happy with. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against them, I am just bitter because Slovenia beat Russia in the play-off round of European qualifications. I personally think Russia is the team that is more deserving to play in the World Cup, but since they are here, let's give them a benefit of doubt. But, the point is, they barely made it to the tournament on the aggregate, worse yet, they made it through thanks to an away goal advantage. So, their road to the World Cup was not exactly was not smooth, and it would appear their group stage will not be too smooth for them either. So, we'll have to wait and see if they can somehow make it through the the Round of 16 from this group. Perhaps on goal differentials?

Player to Watch: Rene KRHIN (MF) - He might only be a 20-year old youngster entering the tournament for the first time. But this Inter Milan midfielder is full of potentials, and it'll be interesting to see how much he can grow through out the tournament.

Expected Result: Group Stage

USA, USA, USA

Ah, another nation that is on the verge of being "good", and it kind of eats me up. With all the jokes aside, USA is definitely becoming a force to be reckoned with, even though they definitely cannot be considered to be a world-class team. They have a pretty solid team, and their win over Spain during the Confederations Cup [yes, against all odds, it happened] will prove that this team can pull off some amazing stuff when they need to. Fortunately enough for them, they are not placed in a group with too much competition, thus their advancement to the next round is not too far away from their reach.

Player to Watch: Clint DEMPSEY (FW) - This striker for Fullham can be fatal for the opponents if he gets the ball within the penalty box. His accurate shots will make the opponent goaltender look like a fool. Oh, and by the way, he is not too shabby just outside the box as well, so yeah, watch out for that!

Expected Result: Round of 16


Match-Ups:
ENG vs USA - 2:0
ALG vs SVN - 0:2
SVN vs USA - 1:2
ENG vs ALG - 4:0
SLV vs ENG - 0:3
USA vs ALG - 3:1

Team	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
England	3	0	0	9	0	9	9
USA	2	0	1	5	4	1	6
Slovenia	1	0	2	3	5	-2	3
Algeria	0	0	3	1	9	-8	0

If you just look at the names and the stats, it seems almost clear that something in this group is already set-in-stone: the first place will go to one of the soccer greats, Argentina. Obviously, nothing is really set-in-stone, as anything can happen in this tournament, but it seems very clear that they are the favorites to win the group. However, as for the second place spot, this group is very competitive because there is not one team that would be considered as the "weakling" - every group has one except for Group B. While the three remaining teams are not necessarily considered to be top class teams, they are very equal to each other. Greece had their moment of fame in Euro 2004, but since then they have declined back to an average team status, but not below. Nigeria is definitely a very strong African nation, and considering that the stage is set in South Africa, they might have some extra advantage. Lastly, the country that is considered to be the Pride of Asia, South Korea, is without a doubt a contender in this group. Yes, I might be a little biased as I do support Korea, but critics do claim that this is the best South Korean team in the history, even better than the squad that led the team to the Semi-Finals in 2002.


Real Test for MESSI-ah

Two-time World Cup Champions Argentina, led by the legendary Diego Maradona, is entering this tournament with every intention to win. Despite being one of the strongest nations in the world, their recent records in the World Cup has not been very satisfactory. However, this year just might be different, this year they have the player that can change it all, the player that is saluted by not just Argentinians but by the entire world, the player that is considered to be the best right now: Lionel Messi. While he was just a squad member in 2006 World Cup, this year, he is the super-star who will lead the team. However, this is also going to be his first time entering the biggest tournament of all, and considering his young age, we will have to wait and see if he can bring everything he's got. At the same time, the attacking forces of Argentina is almost uncontended, and it is not just because of Messi. Apart from Lionel Messi, they enter the tournament with 4 other world class strikers: Gonzalo Higuain, Diego Millito, Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez. Their Attacking Midfielders are also top class with the forces from Maxi Rodriguez and Angel Di Maria. However, their are some questions about their defense as Maradona has taken out a few crucial players including, Javier Zannetti who is considered to be one of the best in the world in terms of both techniques and leadership. Therefore, it will be a test of if their front can be strong enough to support their back, which might fall behind a little.

Player to Watch: Lionel MESSI (FW) - Is there even a question about this? This Barcelona Forward is conidered to be the best in the world despite only being 22. He has already proven his worth in the club level as he brought the UEFA Champions League trophy and the Spanish La Liga trophy numerous times. It is time to see if he can hold another trophy, except this time, for his country.

Expected Result: Final [Runner-Up]


One Hit Wonder

There is no other way of explaining the final outcome of Euro 2004 apart from calling it a miracle. Former European Champions Greece is not a terrible team, they were never considered so. However, they were never really considered to be a great team either, and when they won Euro 2004, the entire continent and the world were questioning how that could have happened. Well, there really is no good explanation, it just happened. Now, will they be able to perform as they did in 2004 once again? I doubt it. Especially the recent results they have shown in international friendly matches tell us that this team is not going to pull off another Euro 2004. South Africa 2010 is not going to be theirs, and not even the Round of 16 is going to be theirs.

Player to Watch: Angelos CHARISTEAS (FW) - This striker proved his worth in Euro 2004 when he score two very crucial goals. He might not be a top-class striker, but this tall Greek is definitely a force to be reckoned with in the air. Any defence in this group should be careful when the ball is flying towards their penalty box with Charisteas standing tall.

Expected Result: Group Stage


Super Eagles Will Not Fly So High

There was a time when Super Eagles used to fly over the African continent claiming to be one of the best, however that is not this team anymore. Nigeria had hard enough time qualifying to the World Cup 2010, as they barely made through the second last match of the qualifying stage where they won in the last minute to keep them alive. They do have the advantage of being used to playing in hot African climate, but that just might not be enough. For these eagles, their first battle against Argentina might decide the entire course of their tournament. If they perform well, they might be able to pick up some very strong momentum, but otherwise it will be all downhill from their.

Player to Watch: John OBI MIKEL (MF) - This Chelsea Midfielder has made himself known in one of the biggest Club Football stages in the world. He can be very strong when he provides the right balls to the forwards or when he utilizes them to strike himself. However, he is no longer playing with his Chelsea teammates in this tournament.

Expected Result: Group Stage


Pride of Asia

This squad of "Taeguk Warriors" are considered to be the best ever by both the Korean media as well as the experts across the entire continent of Asia. Their run to the Semi-Finals in 2002 on their home-soil is considered to be 'undeserved' by certain critics, but nonetheless they proved to the world that they had the spirit and the passion to compete in this tournament. Even though, they were unsuccessful in their group stage in 2006, they still played a lot better than they did in past tournaments [with an obvious exception of 2002]. But the hopes and expectations are fairly hight for this young squad led by their captain Park Ji-Sung from Manchester United. This team might not be a world-class team, but it is a team that is definitely capable of to contend and entertain in this tournament.

Player to Watch: LEE Dong-Kuk (FW) - This, rather, unfortunate star from Korea is returning to the world stage for the first time in 12 years. He had to miss out in 2002 and he had to miss out in 2006 due to injury. Nicknamed "Lion King", he was once the biggest prospect in Korean soccer, and he is still proving himself to be one of the best strikers in the country. There is a question as to if he will be able to perform well in this tournament as he is currently injured (what an unlucky guy), but the coaching staff claim that he will be back and ready by the time the group stage starts.

Expected Result: Round of 16


Match-Ups:
ARG vs NGA - 4:1
KOR vs GRE - 2:0
GRE vs NGA - 1:1
ARG vs KOR - 4:2
NGA vs KOR - 2:2
GRE vs ARG - 1:3

Team	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Argentina	3	0	0	11	4	7	9
South Korea	1	1	1	6	6	0	4
Nigeria	0	2	1	4	7	-2	2
Greece	0	1	2	2	6	-4	1

This group does not appear to be a group that is hard to make predictions for, even though at any given moment anything unexpected can happen. (That is the beauty of the game.) With that being said this group consists of fairly strong teams, but not a team I would consider to be a top competitor in the later stage of the tournament. So, let's take a look.

Pride of the Host

For an obvious reason, South Africans will hope their team will perform great, especially considering the history of the World Cup, where the host nation very often perform nice enough to pass through the group stage, in addition to the fact that they, among the nations in Group A, are the team that is most prepared for the climate. However, it appears very unlikely for South Africa to perform better than the other 3 teams to move forward.

Player to Watch: Steven PIENAAR (MF) - This midfielder from Everton is the player that will open up the ways for the South African Offense. If South Africa scores in this tournament, this is the player that will start the movement.

Expected Result: Group Stage

High Expectation, Low Quality

On another hand, France is one of those teams that always enter the tournament with high expectations. There are very few teams for whom anything less than winning-it-all is less than satisfactory, and France is definitely one of those teams. However, I just do not believe this is their year. This team does consist of rising talent for Les Bleus, but they are just not there yet. They do not have the team that they had for 1998 and they do not even have the team they had for 2006, event though there are players who participated on both of those tournaments still remaining on the squad.

Player to Watch: Yoann GOURCUFF (MF) - There are many world-class players on this team, but the player that will shine in this tournament is this Bordeaux midfielder. Though he might not be as well known as some of his teammates, he is a force to be reckoned with in the midfield. His strong presence and sharp passes will definitely bring badass-ness to Les Bleus' offense.

Expected Result: Quarter Finals

The best of CONCACAF

Mexico is without a doubt the strongest team in North, Central America and Caribbean, even if the Americans disagree, the fact speaks for itself. This is also a nation that has very many young talents who can create magical touches on the field. Overall, this team might not be what you would call a World-Class team, but at the same time you cannot count out this Mexican team. Composed of experienced players such as Blanco, who participated in 1998 World Cup and rising talent such as Giovanni Dos Santos who, only a couple of years ago, was the biggest star of their youth team, Mexico is not coming to South Africa, just to "chill-out" and participate. But, will they be able to hold the cup on the last day of the tournament? Not likely.

Player to Watch: Carlos VELA (FW) - This young striker from Arsenal is definitely one of the super-stars of this Mexican team, despite only being young-age of 21. In recent friendly matches, he has definitely proven the value of his presence on the field. Especially along side Giovanni Dos Santos, this Mexican forwards will definitely provide a few goal ceremonies their fans can enjoy.

Expected Result: Round of 16

Former Glory

Here is a nation, that was once very strong and renowned for their great football team. Uruguay is one of a few nations in the world who has held the World "Cup". As the matter of fact, they have done it twice. That is double the record of France. However, those victories came a LONG time ago. In recent tournaments, they were just happy to be participating. So, the question is will they be able to bring the gold and glory back to their nation or will they remain to be that "less-than-good" modern Uruguayan team? While, I do recognize strong talents on their team, I think most of the world already knows the answer is leaning towards the latter.

Player to Watch: Diego FORLAN (FW) - Do you remember that guy, who was the back-up striker for Manchester United, but was not really good enough and was sold-off to Villarreal and all of sudden became a top striker in La Liga? Yeah, this is that guy! He is a phenomenal striker, and even though he has not be as successful with his new team Atletico Madrid, he still is a player who can surely score goals!

Expected Result: Group Stage

We are now only exactly one week away from the biggest sport event in the world, World Cup [2010 South Africa]. It is very exciting for a few reasons: 1) It is the World Cup, 2) It is the first time this event is hosted by an African nation, and 3) well, didn't I tell you? It's the World Cup!!! With that being said, as a HUGE football(soccer) fan, what better way is there to start the count-down than doing a pre-analysis and making predictions. So, starting from today, I will post analysis and prediction for each group per day leading up to the World Cup [only thing is one of those days, I will be making a post for 2 different teams.]

The analysis will consist of my thoughts on how each team within the group will perform, a little bit of their history, the best result [I believe] they will get in this tournament, and a player to watch from the team. The prediction will include how I think each match-up is going to turn out, and how the table will look like at the end of the group stage. Pay more attention to the Win-Draw-Loss, rather than the score line, since my predictions for the scores are going to be very arbitrary. [It is there because I believe the result of certain groups might come down to goal differentials.]

So without further wait, here it is! Group A