World Cup: Group C Comments After World Cup Buzz Podcast

Without being  philosophical, it must be said that every individual is entitled to an opinion and to simply ridicule it  without substantial support would be unfair. Having listened to the Group C Podcast, there are a  few comments about the main topics being discussed.

- The Top Teams: Every team does have a flaw or will have one during the World Cup. One must  consider the pressure of competing in the world’s biggest stage with reputations made and destroyed in a single match or round. Injuries, inconsistent form, suspensions, officiating and coaching decisions will all affect the results. One does not have to be a supporter of Brazil to acknowledge the Selecao would probably have 8 titles by now if the winner is crowned purely based on talent while Spain would at least have one. Winning the World Cup  is not just about talent but the combination of variables which are quite intricate and can easily tip the balance to one side or the other.

As for Group C which is stirring up debates and discussions, below are some general comments based on watching and tracking certain teams and their players:

ALGERIA: They will not be advancing from this Group and it might be difficult for them to even get a point. Unlike other African teams, this North African country does not have the physical presence of a Cameroon or Ghana or Ivory Coast. By physical presence one is implying they are not as fast or strong physically. They can play tough and be rough but they are not a superior physical team. They are missing a crucial player in Mourad Meghni who is out injured and will lose to England, USA and Slovenia. At best, they might snatch a draw against either USA or Slovenia. If anyone watched the team’s campaign in the African Cup of Nations, then it would be fair to state the Algerians are not on the same talent level as the Egyptians. However, Algeria deserved to get to this stage because they managed to beat Egypt in the play-off match in Sudan but they remain inferior talent wise to Egypt. This is a clear case of how talent does not necessarily prevail as Egypt did dismantle Algeria 4-0 in the African Cup of Nations. Without going into detail, the Egyptians have had a psychological barrier and intense pressure which have prevent the side from performing up to their talent level causing them to miss on the World Cup in 2002, 2006 and 2010.

SLOVENIA: Many pundits and football fans underestimate this team. Slovenia is not as good as Croatia was in France 1998 but they are a solid team. What they lack in sheer talent, they make up by effort, team work and some individual skills. As a team they are not very talented but on an individual basis they have a couple of decent players. They simply work well together as a unit and they will most likely beat Algeria while troubling USA to the extent of getting a draw or even beating USA. Against England, Slovenia might get a result depending on how many points the Three Lions have prior to the match. However, if logic prevails then Slovenia will fight with the USA for the second spot leaving Algeria to occupy the bottom place in Group C.

ENGLAND: If you check  the piece on who will win the World Cup, it originally excluded England as an option because  the team is not deep enough to make a run beyond the quarter-finals (check www.worldcupbuzz.com/which-team-will-win-the-2010-world-cup/) but in an updated article England was added (please check www.worldcupbuzz.com/world-cup-2010-update-on-tournament-favourites/) and there is a reason for this.

Fabio Capello is a capable manager and he is one of the best in the world. If he wins the World Cup with England then he certainly will be amongst the best three coaches. Capello was in charge of Milan when they shredded the great Barcelona side in the Champions League final of 1994 with a score of 4-0. He won league titles with Roma, Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid. This shows he has the winner’s mentality and it does not matter if you are coaching in England or elsewhere because you can still take with you the winning mentality.

The problem here is Capello can sometimes go too far when considering certain aspects such as the overall good of the team and achieving results because in doing so he sometimes restricts talented players and their ability to perform. Luckily for England he does acknowledge the need to free Wayne Rooney to excel and strike fear into opponents but  Capello on the bench and Rooney on the pitch alone cannot win it for England. The Three Lions do have other quality players but none are on Rooney’s level regardless of their position. England’s journey will likely end  in the quarter-final or perhaps the semi-final at best when facing Brazil (or another quality team).

USA: The United States is by far one of the most improved sides in the last few years as shown by their performances in the Confederations Cup last year. To beat Spain, who were on a historic  streak, is a great achievement and the United States went on to test Brazil’s resolve and talent to the end. There are several variables at play in this situation such as the American desire to always excel and be better in sports when compared to others, but one must keep in mind soccer is behind NFL, MLB, NBA and even NHL. This does have a negative effect on the progress of the national team. The United States was one of the toughest games for the Azzurri in Germany 2006 and they severely tested the Italians with their grit and determination.

The American can still compete and have a considerable chance of going through this group. The US will likely beat Algeria and will either settle for a hard fought draw with Slovenia or perhaps even win the match considering the Slovenia clash will be the decider. As for the much anticipated England vs USA match, Capello and Rooney will make sure England will do the utmost to win. Capello will demand the England players do not underestimate the US and Rooney still has something to prove after World Cup 2006. When healthy and nearing top form, Rooney is close to unstoppable with his sheer desire to win and his talent.

One Note: The English media will sometimes fall into the trap of giving teams a certain tag but it is often done to sell stories or provide motivation for England’s players. In other cases it has the adverse effect of  piling unnecessary pressure on England’s players or providing excuses for an unlikely defeat. In general the press, even in the US, concentrates on selling a story or creating a storm in order to have increased audience. One man who exploited the English media till the end is the self-proclaimed “Special One” Jose Mourinho who often manipulated the English press to satisfy his craving for attention and to serve his purposes.

He did leave Inter so he can challenge for La Liga with Real Madrid but there are other main factors behind his decision: his long-time hatred for Barcelona who never gave him the chance to take over after Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal, and his failure to win over the Italian press. The media in Italy often slammed Mourinho and did not fall for his tricks (but did rightfully salute him at the end for winning a historic treble with Inter). Mourinho became aware he could not manipulate the Italian press as easily as the English one so that is another reason why he opted to leave. Of course Mourinho knew it would be hard to replicate this season’s success and with Real knocking on his door, he knew he had the perfect opportunity to join an extremely promising situation.