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

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