Group C final group games

England 1-0 Slovenia

The game began with England knowing they pretty much had to win, and Slovenia knowing that a point would be enough. England came into the game with two draws after a poor showing against the USA and an abysmal showing against Algeria. Slovenia came in off an average game against Algeria they had managed to win, and a good performance in a pulsating 2 all draw against the USA. The biggest question was: which England would turn up?

It had been widely expected that Capello would finally change the tactics and play Gerrard off Rooney but it didn't quite happen like that. Instead he played Defoe ahead of Heskey and brought Milner into the right wing slot. Carragher of course was suspended so Upson got a start at centre-back. It was a 4-4-2 formation although I was sure Gerrard would drift infield quite a bit (and this would also allow Ashley Cole the freedom to attack down the left flank).

England ultimately put in an excellent performance in what was a commanding 1-0 victory. England constantly hassled and harried the Slovenian players throughout and created a number of opportunities. Milner was my man of the match - he had a fantastic game at right-wing and provided many Beckham-esque crosses. One of which produced the winning goal as Defoe stabbed home from close range.

Slovenia were disappointing. They had thrilled against the USA but they offered only a few off-key whimpers against England. Admittedly, even 1-0 down they were going to qualify while the other game was locked up at 0-0 but the USA's very late winner prevented that.

Rooney still hasn't stamped his mark on a game, England will be hoping for more from him in the second round.

USA 1-0 Algeria

Going into the match the USA knew only a win could guarantee progression. Algeria needed a win even more as this was the only way they could progress and even then they were dependent on the other result.

This game was an engaging affair as both teams looked to attack and to play attractive football. For Algeria Djebbour, Matmour, Ziani and Belhadj were creative, passed intelligently, had plenty of decent shots and played with a spark. Had I never watched this game and relied only on their first two performances at the World Cup I would have described them as a poor or limited side. But having seen this I would now say they are a very capable team who didn't show this until their final game.

The USA were also enterprising and creative which allowed for a free-flowing good game of football. Both sides hit the woodwork with Dempsey hitting the post and Djebbour hitting the bar but it was fitting that Donovan hit the winner as he had been the best player for the USA and possibly for the match. In injury time the ball broke loose in Algeria's penalty area and Donovan was there to slam it into the net, producing a massive moment of high drama and pure ecstasy for the Americans who all threw themselves onto the ground in a mass of bodies. The win had put them through to the second round, and in first place in their group no less.

Group C permutations

My initial prediction for Group C was England and Slovenia to progress (in 1st and 2nd) although I acknowledged that I was picking an upset having Slovenia over the USA. The last round of games will be intriguing as all are in with a shot at qualifying. Slovenia top the group but all can change in the blink of an eye. What do they all need to do when Slovenia play England and the USA play Algeria? [In simplistic terms without all the minor nuances].

England: A win and they are through - in first providing they win by a better margin than the USA. A draw could see them through but only if the USA score 3 less goals than them, 2 less and it would go down to a coin toss.

Slovenia: A win and they will finish first, a draw and they will qualify in first or second (depending on the USA result, a USA win might prevent them from taking 1st spot. A 1-1 draw between Slovenia and England and a 1-0 win to the USA would result in a coin toss between Slovenia and the USA to decide first place)

USA: A win and they are through in either first or second - depending on the other result. A draw and they will likely go through if England also draw (particularly if it is a score draw) or if England lose.

Algeria: Must beat USA. If they do and England draw they will be through in 2nd. If they do and England win they will be fighting with Slovenia for second place on goal difference. They basically need to win by 2 and England by 1 or vice versa. If they win and Slovenia win they will be through in 2nd. Algeria cannot finish first.

Group C's second round of games

Slovenia 2-2 USA

One of the games of the round! Slovenia were clearly the best team in the first half. They passed the ball around confidently, slickly and attacked with purpose. They also looked comfortable in defence. Birsa opening the scoring with a spectacular 25 yard effort past the static Tim Howard. The USA were playing decently and perhaps creating more opportunities at times, but Slovenia were unruffled. Just before half-time they doubled the lead through a Ljubijankic header after a swift counter-attack.

In the second half with the USA chasing the game they were bound to create more opportunities - their first goal came sooner rather than later. Donovan stunned the worldwide audience with a cracking finish from a very tight angle, albeit from close-range. This spurred the USA and they may have had an equaliser sooner if they had a better striker than Altidore whom I consider an average journeyman lacking in firepower. The equaliser eventually came when Bradley powered home a half volley. It was rough on the Slovenians who had defended (and played) so well but by the same token it was also just reward for concerted pressure. The USA thought they had won it when Edu finished off a Donavan free kick, however the referee spotted what appeared to be a non-existent foul.

In general the ref had had a good game but he had made two mistakes: the aforementioned disallowed goal and booking Findley for a handball when it clearly came off his head (this is significant because it means he is suspended for their final group game against Algeria).

England 0-0 Algeria

England were incredibly incredibly poor. The whole team lacked any spark and just appeared to be going through the motions. None of the players came out with any credit - if I had to choose a player who had the best game, who maybe scraped a 6/10 it would be Ashley Cole. Algeria on the other hand were engaging, played some decent football but ultimately lacked quality and thrust in the final third. Particularly poor performers for England were Glen Johnson (who lost possession so many times towards the end of the game), Rooney (who appeared off-pace all game and who was frustrated enough to try and do everything by himself...badly) and Heskey (who's inept attempt to cross the ball towards the end of the game - slipping and sliding like the donkey he is - epitomised the whole of England's performance). Capello will surely have to look at different tactics for the last game. And James, whilst keeping a clean sheet, did not look comfortable...why Hart has not played beats me, it really does. Carragher is suspended for the final game meaning a likely start for Upson, I would choose Dawson myself.

Interesting asides:

1) The fan who accidentally stumbled upon the England dressing room and gave them a piece of his mind.
2) There is real turmoil in the England camp right now (but not as bad as France!). (See also this).

Group C opening games

England 1-1 USA

Capello decided on the following lne-up:

                 Green
Johnson King Terry Cole
Lennon Gerrard Lampard Milner
        Heskey Rooney

England had a brilliant start with a goal for Gerrard after less than ten minutes. Kudos goes to Heskey for a perfectly weighted pass and to Gerrard for a clinical finish.

Milner played poorly down the left hand side, fouling Cherundolo on a number of occasions which eventually resulted in a booking. He didn't get a chance to show his attacking wares and Capello replaced him with Wright Phillips after only half an hour. Milner had apparently been suffering with a stomach bug/virus all week so it is no wonder he was far from his best. Wright Phillips was very poor himself for the rest of the match, I think Joe Cole would have been far the better replacement, particularly as Wright Phillips is actually a right winger by trade.

The equalising goal came 5 minutes before half-time and what a terrible, shocking blunder from Green it was. Dempsey hit a tame shot straight at the keeper and Green somehow contrived to spill the ball into his own net After so much debate over who the goalkeeper should be and Capello's final choice managed to do this. 'Calamity James' hadn't been picked but 'Calamity Green' (could that catch on?) had turned up. It is odd that Capello considers Hart as too inexperienced when Green has only had ten caps himself. Hart is an excellent and confident goalkeeper, he should be in the team. Should Capello replace Green for the next game (and subsequently), and I think he might, he will probably opt for veteran James.

The England tabloids as expected have had a field day. The News of the World: "Rob still too Green for England". The Sunday Times: "One disastrous spill the Yanks won't complain about". Sunday Mirror: "God save the Green". One thing I can't believe is that some people have blamed it mostly on the Jabulani ball. This is preposterous, one only has to watch the incident to realise this...surely?

The second half produced no goals although there was plenty of industry from both sides. Green partly redeemed himself after a good save from Donovan (who had used his pace to easily get past Carragher - a player who had equipped himself OK as replacement centre-back but who in my opinion was the wrong choice as replacement). Lampard tried a number of hopeful long-range shots and Rooney was strangely quiet. Lennon had a decent game except for the fact he failed to beat the first man with the vast majority of his crosses. Heskey played well but he not surprisingly fluffed both a one-on-one and a header. Heskey hasn't scored since February and is hardly a goalscorer despite being a striker. He is there because he forms a good partnership with Rooney. Gerrard was probably England's man of the match.

The USA worked hard throughout. Onyewu was superb in the centre of defence. He composedly dealt with everything England threw at them. The rest of the team were also decent but fashioned very few real chances for their weak forward line to have a go at. Dempsey and Donavon are the best attacking players for the USA but they operate from midfield. How Altidore who scored 1 goal for Hull City all season can be expected to provide the goals is beyond me. The USA did in general prevent too many chances for England.

Slovenia 1-0 Algeria

This was a match whose main features were a red card and a soft goal as it generally lived up to its billing as one of the least exciting contests of the World Cup. Having said that both sides played some engaging football at times.

Overall Algeria probably had the better chances. They had a great headed chance when Halliche headed just wide. Both teams had dipping long distance strikes expertly tipped over by the respective goalkeepers. Yet both teams gave away possession too easily and were generally sloppy. Passes went astray fairly often and touches were often too heavy. Handanovic almost handed Algeria a goal on a plate before managing to recover, thanks to one of those heavy touches to which I refer.

Algeria imploded with just under 20 minutes to go when substitute Ghezzal was sent off for a second yellow card. The first was deserved as was the second - a blatant handball. Not long after, Koren received the ball 20 yards from goal and had a reasonable effort to the left of Chaouchi's goal...the ball sneaked into the back of the net as Chaouchi flapped ungainly at it. He seemed to approach the save in an odd way - instead of diving horizontally to tap it round the corner he approached it head (and arm on) which perhaps contributed to the mistake.

Slovenia held on for their first ever victory at a World Cup as they moved to the top of Group C.

[I'd just like to also point out that Algeria's manager Rabah Sadaane has stated he will quit after the World Cup because of the attitude of some of the players. He left their captain Mansouri on the bench for the game, which on the surface seems an odd decision, but could be something to do with this. This nonsense is likely to have a negative effect on Algeria's World Cup].

Group C Preview

Algeria

Strengths: Algeria, so some degree, are an unknown quantity at World Cup 2010. Many commentators suggest that they know less about them than most other teams. Most of their players do however ply their trade in Europe - generally lower ranked teams in the top tier or higher ranked teams in the second tier. Their undoubted star is Ziani. At age 27 he has amassed 55 caps for Algeria and has played for many French clubs, although he is now at Wolfsburg in Germany. A creative midfielder, his role is essential if Algeria are to create enough goalscoring opportunities.

Weaknesses: Since 2003 Algeria have only won two away games. Whilst the World Cup is a neutral venue this may affect them psychologically. Algeria have a weak strikeforce. None of them will strike fear into the hearts of their opposition. The best is Saifi, but at 35 is certainly past his prime. Their squad is not blessed with talent - they will work hard and defend doggedly but are not expected to shine.

Formation: likely to be 4-4-2

Manager: Rabah Saadane, an Algerian stalwart, is in his 5th spell in charge of the national side over almost 30 years.

Qualification: Algeria finished level on everything with Egypt in their final qualifying group. They both had 4 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, scored 9 goals, conceded 4. This resulted in an unprecedented playoff between Algeria and Egypt to be played in a neutral venue: Sudan. Yahia scored the only goal of the game as Algeria conjured up a 1-0 victory that plunged their country into ecstasy.

World Cup pedigree: Algeria have only reached the World Cup finals on two occasions: 1982 and 1986. Both times they failed to progress from the first round. In 1982 they had a famous 2-1 victory over West Germany and almost qualified for the second round. They reason they didn't was farcical. In the last game between Germany and Austria, a 1-0 or 2-0 win to Germany would be enough for both teams to progress, any other scoreline would see Algeria through. Germany took the lead on 10 minutes and for the remaining 80 minutes both teams simply went through the motions. Algeria would love to progress from Group C and face Germany in the 2nd round - to try exact some revenge!

Chance of progression from Group C: 30%, will probably finish last.

England

Strengths: England's biggest strength is Wayne Rooney. If you didn't know that you've probably been hiding under a rock these past few years. A truism it may be but there is absolutely no denying that he is England's key player at World Cup 2010. England have quality all over the park. The likes of Gerrard and Lampard are excellent creative goalscoring midfielders, they have high quality wingers with the likes of Lennon and Wright-Phillips and versatility from players like Milner (who can play anywhere in midfield) and Carragher who has come out of retirement to help the cause. Cole is a top drawer left back and there is genuine strength in depth in a number of areas of the park.

Weaknesses: England do not have a settled first eleven. There is debate over the goalkeeper (James, Green or Hart?), over whether Heskey should continue partnering Rooney up front as he did in the qualifiers or if Gerrard should play behind Rooney. There is debate over the wingers and there is debate over the central defence, particularly now Rio Ferdinand has been ruled out of the World Cup. There are injuries as well: Barry has been battling back from his injury and probably won't be ready for the first game and Ledley King has hardly played a game all season. Right-back is the weakest spot because although Johnson is good at marauding down his flank his defence can be quite suspect. They are also in average form - scrambling to a 2-1 victory over Japan (courtesy of two own goals) being a striking example.

Formation: 4-4-2 if Heskey plays, closer to a 4-4-1-1 if Gerrard supports Rooney.

Manager: Fabio Capello. After a quality playing career in Italy that spanned around 18 years Fabio got into high-level management 11 years later. He has been with top clubs over his 19 years or so as a manager and England is his first international assignment.

Qualification: England comfortably topped their European qualifying group ahead of the likes of Ukraine and Croatia.with 9 wins and 1 draw from 10 games.

World Cup pedigree: This is England's 13th World Cup. They were Champions in 1966 and finished 4th in 1990. They have also been knocked out at the quarters on six occasions.

Chance of progression from Group C: 80%, probably in 1st. There is a reason David Beckham had a massive grin on his face when this group was drawn!

Slovenia

Strengths: Slovenia play a game of collective football which is effective. They have one of the best defences in Europe having only conceded four goals in their ten group matches in qualification. Their best attacking threat is Novakovic who scores goals and is a lethal dead ball specialist. Their captain and lynchpin Robert Koren is their creative playmaker who should provide opportunities for goals. Handanovic is also a talented goalkeeper.

Weaknesses: If we disregard Slovenia's result against the weakest European nation, San Marino, Slovenia barely managed a goal per game. They do not have any real household names - they have a number of solid if unspectacular performers throughout the european leagues.

Formation: Likely to be 4-4-2.

Manager: Matjaz Kez managed his local side Maribor for around six years (2000-2006), followed by the Slovenian U15 and U16 side for about a year. He has been manager of the Slovenian international side since 2007

Qualification: For a country of only 2 million people (and a national football stadium with only 12,435 seats!) Slovenia did exceedingly well to qualify ahead of the much fancied Czech Republic and Poland. They finished 2nd in their qualifying group (behind Slovakia) and had to overcome the mighty Russian side (managed by the brilliant Guus Hiddink) in a playoff. Two goals behind in the first leg this looked unlikely until they pulled a crucial away goal back towards the end of the match. This meant a 1-0 win would suffice in the 2nd leg, and a 1-0 win they achieved. With Dedic scoring at the end of the first half they defended famously to ensure progression.

World Cup pedigree: Slovenia gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. It is Yugoslavia from whom they derive their footballing tradition. Slovenia first entered qualification for the 1998 tournament but have only made the 2002 World Cup finals. They lost all 3 games scoring 2 goals and conceding 7. They will hope to do much better this time around!

Chance of progression from Group C: 50%, I'm picking an upset though and reckon Slovenia will make the 2nd round (in 2nd place).

USA

Strengths: In Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan the USA have two attacking midfielders who are highly experienced, highly skilled, very creative and at just about the perfect age to be in their prime. Whilst I have been heard to say that Donovan is over-rated (he has been) that has been due to a lack of consistency on his part. At the World Cup we're talking of just a few games and it would be just like Donovan to be really up for those occasions. They have an athletic and very useful goalkeeper in Tim Howard and a tall, imposing and dominant centre-back in Oguchi Onyewu. They have shown recently that they have what it takes to progress to the depths of a tournament having lost 3-2 to Brazil in the final of the Confederations Cup (after being 2-0 up at half-time). Admittedly the Confederations Cup is a tournament barely worth being interested in but they did defeat Spain in the semi-finals, ending their 35 match unbeaten run.

Weaknesses: The USA lack true goalscorers up front. Altidore is the most highly rated but is fairly average from what I've seen of him. Watch him prove me wrong, he did top score with six in qualifying. Edson Buddle appears to have potential but at 29 still has less than a handful of international caps to show for it. Dempsey and Onyewu have been out with injury for long periods of time this season and some of their other European based players have found it hard to get game-time. Beyond their star names the USA have a fairly middling team who I don't think will quite handle the slick, pacy passing of the Slovenians.

Formation: Likely to be a traditional 4-4-2.

Manager: Bob Bradley. He has previously managed MLS sides and has been national manager since after the 2006 World Cup.

Qualification: The USA topped their final qualification group by 1 point ahead of Mexico. It was a relatively easy progression in what is a weak CONCACAF section.

World Cup pedigree: This is the USA's 9th World Cup and their 6th in succession. Their best finish was 3rd in 1930 and their second best effort was being knocked out in the quarters of the 2002 World Cup. In this game they lost to Germany 1-0 in a game which the USA dominated. Kahn made a number of great saves and Ballack scored the crucial goal. Frings also handled the ball on his own line which should have resulted in a penalty, but the Germans held on.

Chance of progression from Group C: 60%, but I reckon they'll miss out to Slovenia.