We’ve arrived at our penultimate World Cup 2010 group preview here on The Football Blog. There are just days now until the biggest sporting event on the planet and we’ve reached Group G: The Group of Death.
Brazil, Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea will dispute a ferociously competitive group in which at least one big name will be going home early.
North Korea have little hope of progression however they will be keen to showcase some of the talents that the secretive country possesses and they will no doubt carry themselves with immense pride.
DUNGA’S DEFENSIVELY MINDED BRAZIL STILL A MAJOR PLAYER
Brazilian coach Dunga carved out an illustrious career as a defensive midfield lynchpin with his peak arriving with World Cup triumph in 1994.
The Brazilian press often deride this period in their footballing history, dismissing the perceived languid style. In truth, Dunga was an exceptional reader of the game and rather than being thuggish as some suggest, he was a master at intercepting the opposition whilst also being a pass master.
Critics have rounded on the side once more, despite their routine path to the Finals. Some journalists have attacked Dunga’s methods and view his side’s style of play as merely a mirror of the diminutive man’s career.
BRAZIL QUALIFY FOR SOUTH AFRICA WITH EASE
Despite the hounding he has received at home, Dunga and his Brazil side are acquiring a growing army of admirers from further afield.
The understated respect afforded to the Selecao since Dunga took charge in 2006 has been an acknowledgement of the team’s ability to accommodate lesser known domestic players instead of pandering to European talents who may not display the same desire for their country as they do for their club side.
Players from major European sides still remain, exemplified by the inclusion of Barcelona’s Dani Alves and Juventus’ Felipe Melo however the manager is keen to include home-grown players who are hungry to pull on the gold shirt.
“Our goal was to get the players to really want to be with the national team,” Dunga said after Brazil arrived at its training camp in South Africa. “A lot of players didn’t want to be here, now it’s the opposite.”
The likes of Ronaldinho and World Cup scoring legend Ronaldo, fallen stars since their 2002 World Cup exploits, have either been placed on standby or not included at all as Brazil vie for an unsurpassed sixth world crown.
They topped the South American qualifying group, winning seven of their last ten games including a famous 3-1 victory away win over Argentina. This result had the added boost of clinching their place in South Africa.
Since taking over, Dunga has also led Brazil to a Copa America win in 2007and Confederations Cup victory in 2009. Success runs through the fabric of the national side and an insatiable public still expect nothing short of World Cup domination.
DEFENSIVELY SOLID AND A POTENT THREAT, DUNGA HAS CREATED A FEARSOME COCKTAIL
Dunga’s Brazil usually utilise two defensive midfield players, creating space for full-backs such as Inter Milan’s explosive defender Maicon, to maraud forward. Attacking threats like Real Madrid’s Kaka and former Manchester City midfielder Elano are also free to inflict damage upon the opposition.
This new found Brazilian combination of defensive solidity and traditional samba skill has created a lethal foundation for success this summer.
In attack, Sevilla’s Luis Fabiano proved an excellent addition to Brazil’s qualifying campaign, contributing with goals as well as acting as a target man to feed a group of hungry attacking midfielders.
He could be partnered by either on-loan Santos man and Manchester City enfant terrible, Robinho, or Villarreal hot-shot, Nilmar.
Nilmar scored the winner against England in their friendly last November and repeated the trick when he netted a goal against Oman.
More recently Brazil have beaten the Republic of Ireland and on Wednesday they became the first non-African nation to appear in Zimbabwe since independence. They enjoyed a 3-0 victory with Michel Bastos, Robinho and Elano scoring the goals.
Another friendly against African opposition, this time Tanzania, will be played on June 7 in Dar es Salaam.
Brazil will kick-off their campaign with an intriguing match-up against North Korea on June 15 before two difficult encounters. The first is against the Ivory Coast on June 20 and then finally an epic contest against colonial foes Portugal on June 25.
QUESTIONS REMAIN ABOUT QUERIOZ AND PORTUGAL
Portugal manager Carlos Querioz can point to a third-placed FIFA ranking and a reasonable managerial record in charge of the national team as evidence of his pedigree however he cannot seem to shake off his doubters.
For his detractors, Querioz will always remain a competent number two, as witnessed at Manchester United, rather than a successful leader, epitomised by a failed stint in charge at Real Madrid.
If Portugal are to emulate the successes of Eusebio’s team of 1966 which finished third, or the 2006 side that secured fourth place, Querioz will have to deal with many of the present afflictions, namely achieving balance throughout the side.
Since taking over in July 2008 for his second stint in charge of the national team, Querioz has been attacked for at times being inflexible and stubborn however a strong run in the completion would soon dispel any disenchantment from inside and outside the camp.
PORTUGAL’S STRUGGLE TO QUALIFY SYMPTOMATIC OF PROBLEMS WITHIN UNDERPERFORMING SQUAD
The fact that Portugal limped through qualifying; only arriving at the Finals courtesy of two narrow play-off victories against Bosnia, did little to excite the Portuguese public prior to the tournament.
A closely examined and much maligned performance in a recent 0-0 draw with the tiny Cape Verde Islands only served to increase the pressure on the team.
The scene was set in only the second game of qualifying. Portugal fell to a 3-2 defeat at home to Denmark having led the Danes very late on before disaster struck. Three consecutive 0-0 draws against Sweden and Albania ensured a nervy, high-pressure finish to qualifying.
Thankfully for the Portuguese, three wins in their final three group games saw them make the play-offs where they eventually won a place in South Africa.
RECENT RESURGENCE MAY NOT BE ENOUGH TO SEE PORTUGUESE THROUGH
Optimism is slowly starting to build however, following the team’s 3-1 victory over Cameroon last weekend.
Indeed, Portugal’s squad is not lacking in talent however the ability of the team to gel at this pivotal moment and perform sufficiently to hold off the joint challenges of the Ivory Coast and Brazil is still subject to debate.
Many of the side’s stellar names have underperformed at club and international level recently, including Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo whose overbearing star appears to cast itself ominously over the rest of the squad.
Chelsea’s Deco meanwhile had a successful season under Carlo Ancelotti and he’ll be anxious to continue his good form at the Finals.
Other attacking midfield options include Atletico Madrid’s dynamic Simao Sabrosa, Porto’s Raul Meireles who bagged a brace against Cameroon and Manchester United’s flying winger, Nani.
Naturalised Portuguese front-man Liedson is proving a hit up-front in Queiroz’s favoured 4-5-1 formation, replacing the erstwhile incumbent and record goal-scorer, Pauleta. With Ronaldo feeding off Sporting’s Liedson, Portugal have a potent attack.
Defensively, Queiroz praised his side in their recent friendly win. The boss has included Real Madrid man Pepe despite his recent injury problems and with quality at the back such as Chelsea’s Ricardo Carvalho and Jose Bosingwa as well as Valencia’s Miguel, the starting line-up on paper appears to be very solid.
“It was a good game. I asked my players for discipline and organisation and, even when we played against 10 men, we managed to maintain our focus” Querioz said, referring to Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o’s sending-off.
Portugal have one more warm-up game to look forward to, against Mozambique in South Africa. They then open their World Cup campaign against the Ivory Coast on June 15 before meeting 1966 opponents North Korea on June 21. They’ll meet Brazil on June 25 in a potential qualification showdown.
IVORY COAST ARE AFRICA’S BIGGEST HOPE OF GLORY
Of the six African sides competing at the Finals, the Ivory Coast have the most realistic chance of glory.
A strong all-round team with exceptional individual talents, the Ivorians, led by Sven Goran-Eriksson, look equipped to become the tournament’s success story and everyone’s favourite second team.
Chelsea’s formidable striker, Didier Drogba, coupled with team-mate Salomon Kalou and Barcelona’s Yaya Toure are just a few of the household names with many more set to enter our living room and collective consciousness.
IMPERIOUS CHARGE TO THE FINALS SEES THE ELEPHANTS TIPPED FOR SUCCESS
In the clamour to qualify from the African zone, the Ivory Coast charged towards the Finals, topping both stages of qualifying with some thumping victories accompanying them to South Africa.
Former boss Vahid Halihodzic united a group of individuals and pragmatically assembled a team of winners.
Given the impressive nature of qualification, he can feel hard done by to have been replaced by the high-profile Eriksson in a move that was greeted with some scepticism and disappointment by fans.
Ultimately Halihozic paid the price for his side exiting at the quarter-final stage of the Africa Cup of Nations.
STRONG SPINE WILL HAVE OTHER TEAMS FEARFUL OF IVORIANS
The draw for the group stages of the World Cup means the Ivory Coast will face much sterner opposition than Burkina Faso and Malawi. Fortunately, their side has strength throughout and the core of the team has a firm spine.
Manchester City’s Kolo Toure will marshal a defence that could also include Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue although just as at club level, he could be used in midfield too.
Sevilla’s Didier Zokora is familiar to Tottenham Hotspur fans and his midfield partnership with Yaya Toure sees the latter push forward with the former’s protection.
Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou is still only 24 however he’s already a seasoned professional. He is a lithe, tricky player who can cut inside from the wing and fizz in crosses and shots from a variety of positions.
He’ll be looking to feed the voracious Didier Drogba. After long club seasons, it will be interesting to see whether Drogba and co. can match their club form at international level. If the striker is at his unplayable best, he could cement his position as one of, if not, Africa’s greatest ever player.
Drogba is certainly confident of success and he’s already also targeted the World Cup Golden Boot prize awarded to the tournament’s top scorer.
“I really hope [I can finish top scorer]. If we can get through the group stages, I think we have a very strong chance” he told Match of the Day magazine.
The Ivory Coast still have one more warm-up game and they’ll be anxious to build momentum following a 2-0 defeat to South Korea and a 2-2 draw with Paraguay. They face Japan on June 4 before kicking-off their tournament against Portugal on June 15. This is closely followed by their match with Brazil on June 20 and a final group game against North Korea on June 25.
NORTH KOREA ANOTHER SIDE LOOKING TO RE-CAPTURE THE SPIRIT OF ‘66
Little is known of North Korea, the team’s preparations as secretive as the isolated nation itself. Memories of the Koreans are restricted to the black and white images of their historic run to the quarter-finals in England in 1966.
North Korea famously defeated Italy before eventually succumbing to Portugal however they did lead their opponents 3-0 at one stage.
They’ll certainly need to muster the spirit of ’66 if they are to avoid humiliation as the footballing gods dealt them the cruellest of hands by placing them in Group G.
KOREANS NEGOTIATE DIFFICULT ASIAN QUALIFYING GROUP
What we can ascertain from the manner in which North Korea qualified is that they can boast an impressive defensive record, even if they do not tend to score many goals.
A collection of 1-0 wins and 0-0 draws helped North Korea seal qualification from a group that included their neighbours in the south plus recent World Cup qualifiers Iran and Saudi Arabia.
The only blots on their copybook were a 1-0 defeat to arch-rivals South Korea and a 2-1 loss to Iran.
LITTLE-KNOWN OF THE MINNOWS AS THEY PREPARE FOR BAPTISM OF FIRE
Choosing to train in the slum township of Tembisa in the East Rand area of Gauteng province, their base is surrounded by security guards and barbed wire. The nearby four-star Protea Hotel where the team is staying also has a high security presence as reporters struggle to gain an insight into the team’s preparations.
One Korean reporter however, did manage to collect passing snippets from some of North Korea’s star players.
“I will keep my promise of scoring one goal per game. In our group, it will be Brazil and North Korea who will advance” star player and Japanese born Jong Tae-Sae told a reporter for The Chosun Ilbo.
Jong Tae-Sae has been dubbed the ‘People’s Wayne Rooney’ and recently impressed in a 2-2 draw with Greece where he scored twice.
Their other one to watch is Hong Yong-Jo who plays for Russian Premier League side, FC Rostov. One of few genuine goal threats, he leads the line well and his goals were instrumental in the team’s qualification. He is the only North Korean player with experience of European football.
The North Koreans certainly do not lack in confidence and midfielder An Yong-Hak also believes they can spring a surprise at the World Cup.
“Whoever we play, we will do our best and can get good results” he told FIFA.com.
One of the more bizarre stories emerging has centred on a recent FIFA ruling. Coach Kim-Jong Hun decided to name only two goalkeepers, hoping that Kim Myong-Won could be used as a striker as well as a possible ‘keeper.
FIFA have stipulated that this will not be allowed and that Kim will have to play as a goalkeeper if selected and not an outfield player as he was originally listed as a net minder.
North Korea face the toughest of encounters when they kick-off against Brazil on June 15. It doesn’t get much easier on June 21 when they meet Portugal before probably bowing out against the Ivory Coast on June 25.
BRAZIL AND THE IVORY COAST TO PROGRESS, PORTUGAL TO FALTER, KOREANS WILL BE HUMBLED
The Brazilians have an enviable blend of defensive nous and attacking flair and they are almost certainties to progress from Group G.
The Ivory Coast and Portugal meet in their first group game and if one of them can emerge victorious, it could be crucial. The Ivorians will certainly feel as if they are playing a home game and whilst support can only carry a team so far, they also have the quality to see off the Portuguese and qualify from the group.
North Korea will be hoping for any scrap of luck that may come their way although they don’t lack belief in themselves or motivation. If they were to win any of their three games though, it would be a major upset.
William Geldart
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