Sweet Wisdom

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