Group D preview

Group D is a fascinating group. Possibly fights with Group G for the title of 'Group of Death', all games should be tightly fought contests.

Australia

Strengths: Australia have a decent side with many having plenty of European experience. Cahill is the key man as he provides bite and skill in the attacking midfield, as well as the crucial knack of being in the right place at the right time to score goals. He was instrumental in their opening 3-1 win against Japan in 2006 (when they were 1-0 down with 7 mins to go) and will hope to be the same again. Schwarzer is an excellent goalkeeper despite his advancing years. So much so, Arsenal have tried a temporary solution to their goalkeeping problems by signing him. Kewell is constantly injured and not the player he was 8 or 9 years ago but he does have an element of class that, providing he is and stays fit, could come in handy. Australia work very hard together as a team and put a lot of effort into their defence. As Sports illustrated noted: "The Socceroos probably deserve better than to be hailed for their never-say-die attitude, but it remains their standout attribute". They also have some good talent on the fringes - players like Hollman and Valeri.

Weaknesses: Australia have the second oldest squad in the tournament. This is not necessarily a bad thing as the experience factor could be vital. However considering the fact their golden team of four years ago has only changed a little bit means that they are certainly no surprise factor and it might also mean they aren't as spritely as they once were. Cahill is suffering from a neck problem he picked up in a friendly and is doing his damndest to be fit for their opening game against Germany. Australia is lightweight on attack - Kennedy will not scare anyone, they may have to rely on the midfield popping up with a few. Whilst Australia are strong on defence if you look at the defenders individually none of them are particularly highly rated, Lucas Neill probably being the pick of them.

Formation: Likely to be a 4-2-3-1 with two holding midfielders allowing wingers to support the striker. Cahill will be the cog in behind the striker

Manager: Pim Verbeek was assistant to Guus Hiddink for South Korea at the 2002 World Cup and to Dick Advocaat for the 2006 World Cup. Apart from a brief spell as manager of South Korea after this he has little experience as an international manager. He is quite conservative in his approach, probably a major reason for sticking with the old guard and not taking a punt on the likes of Tommy Oar.

Qualification: Unlike a number of previous tournaments Australia did not play in the Oceania confederation - they played in the Asian zone. In many previous cups they have been undone after winning Oceania and then losing to the fifth placed South American team. The top two teams in both of the final two qualifying groups would gain automatic qualification - Australia did it at a breeze, finishing first with 6 wins and 2 draws.

World Cup pedigree: This will be Australia's third world cup. In 1974 they went home after 1 draw and 2 wins, in 2006 they famously qualified for the second round ahead of European powerhouse Croatia, only to be beaten with the last kick of the game against Italy - a controversial penalty won by Grosso and converted by Totti.

Chance of progression from Group D: 45%, expect them to put up a good fight and not miss out by much.

Germany

Strengths: Germany are one of the major players in every tournament. They are taking their youngest squad to a World Cup in 76 years with an average age of just under 25. Whilst this is partially forced upon them due to injury take nothing away from these young guns. There is considerable talent within the squad and they will expect to shine at the tournament. I think they might just make people sit up and take notice. Despite this they will still have the experienced Bastian Schweinsteiger, striker Miroslav Klose and defenders Arne Friedrich and Per Mertesacker to call upon. Schweinsteiger is a fantastic attacking midfield player and will need to really step up to the mark in the absence of Ballack. Their midfield stocks have the potential to be frightfully exciting with a lot of positive things said about Khedira, Ozil, Kroos and Marin. They also boast in Klose and Podolski, two players with great scoring records for their national team (around 1 goal every 2 games). Their defensive line-up also appears strong. Interestingly only one player in their squad plays outside of Germany - Boateng at Man City.

Weaknesses: Germany have been dealt a few blows with injury. Their talismanic captain and goalscoring midfielder Ballack was ruled out of the tournament and they have suffered the blows of an injury to first choice goalkeeper Adler and the suicide of Robert Enke who was another contender. It feels strange writing it (with their history of goalkeeping excellence) but Germany have worries in goal. Whilst Klose and Podolski have an excellent record up front, neither have been in very good form in the Bundesliga this season. Kuranyi who was, wasn't selected, although that may be because of his stormy relationship with manager Joachim Low.

Formation: Germany may opt for a 4-2-3-1 with 2 holding midfielders, 2 wingers and 1 in the hole behind Klose.

Qualification: Germany finished top of their qualifying group, 4 points ahead of Russia. The other 4 teams (Finland, Wales, Azerbaijan and Liechenstein) were not much cop.

World Cup pedigree: There have only been two tournaments in which they did not compete: 1930 (withdrew) and 1950 (banned). They have been champions three times (1954, 1974 and 1990), runners-up four times (1966, 1982, 1986 and 2002) and third on three occasions (1934, 1970 and 2006).

Chance of progression from Group D: 75%, probably in first place.

Ghana

Strengths: Ghana have a relatively strong squad, their most powerful part being their midfield which, despite the absence of Essien, still boasts the very useful Muntari and Appiah. They will rely on Gyan for goals - he has a good strike rate and is their most experienced at international level. They also have experience in defence with both Paintsil and Mensah boasting over 50 caps. They are physically strong and aren't likely to concede many goals given their defensive personnel.  

Weaknesses: The absence of Essien is massive. He is excellent defensively in protecting the back four and also packs a ferocious shot. He makes football look simple. As the cog that energises the whole team he will be sorely missed. Ghana are also relatively lacking in goalscorers up front. Gyan has the excellent strike rate of 1 in every 2 games and Amoah manages 1 every 3 but it is not a squad whose attackers strike fear into their opposition. They lack creativity in midfield which might mean a lack of goalscoring opportunities. They are an aggressive side which could lead to bookings and suspensions.

Formation: - Likely to be 4-5-1 with Gyan playing lone striker. Probably only one of the 5 in midfield will be on the wing with the other four defensively minded. Appiah will be pushed further forward than he does for his club side. It is possible that they will play Asamoah ahead of Boateng so that Ghana have two wingers on the pitch - but this is not expected to happen.

Manager: Milovan Rajevac. Never managed an international side before he is relatively inexperienced. However he is highly rated. He is Serbian which could provide extra motivation for when Ghana play Serbia. (Incidentally Kevin-Prince Boateng is in the Ghanaian squad and could face his brother Jerome who is in the German squad. If this happens it will be the first time brothers play against each other in the World Cup's history.

Qualification: Ghana qualified fairly comfortably in the final group stage of qualification - finishing 3 points ahead of Benin. They only just made it into that final stage however: 2 teams from each group of 4 were to go through to the last stage and they, Gabon and Libya all finished on 12 points - Ghana and Gabon getting through on goal difference.

World Cup pedigree: This is Ghana's second World Cup Finals - in 2006 they did well to reach the second round, finishing second in their group - behind Italy and ahead of Czech Republic and the USA.

Chance of progression from Group D: 50%, may miss out at a whisker.

Serbia

Strengths: Serbia are rightfully considered one of the dark horses of the tournament. They have some of the best players in the world. In Vidic and Ivanovic (two players who start week in week out at Manchester United and Chelsea respectively) in defence they have two exceptional defenders. Throw in the fantastic defensive midfielder Stankovic and Serbia will be very hard to beat.

Weaknesses: Zigic (who at 6 foot 7 dwarfs Peter Crouch!) and Pantelic are highly rated up front but in comparison to the rest of their team would probably be considered weak links. Pantelic has been on fire for Ajax but at international level only scores at a rate of around 1 in 5, Zigic is much better with 1 in 3. Some of their lesser known names are not renowned individually but they do work well as a unit.

Formation: Likely to be 4-4-2 but with exciting wingers in Krasic and Jovanovic joining the attack whenever they can no doubt they will look like a 4-2-4 at times.

Manager: Radomir Antic has been manager for around two years. It's his first foray into international management but he has about 20 years experience as manager of a variety of top, mainly spanish clubs such as Real Madrid, Athletico Madrid and Barcelona.

Qualification: Serbia topped their qualifying group which included France

World Cup pedigree: Up until 2003 Serbia have always competed as part of Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia competed in 9 out of 17 tournaments - their highest position was fourth in 1930 and 1962, and they were knocked out in the quarters on three occasions (1954, 1958 and 1990). In 2006 they competed as Serbia and Montenegro and in 2010 they are simply Serbia. In the last World Cup they were also highly rated but had the misfortune to be paired with Holland, Argentina and Ivory Coast and lost all 3 games.

Chance of progression from Group D: 60%, probably in second place but don't be surprised if they top the group. [Their 1-0 friendly loss to the All Whites, whilst magnificent for New Zealand, was probably just an aberration].

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.

Group B preview

Argentina

Strengths: Argentina have a star studded line-up of exciting quality players. Messi is arguably the best footballer in the world, capable of regularly turning on sublime displays. Very creative, he provides good opportunities for others and scores plenty himself. With the likes of Higuain and Di Maria in their first eleven, and having the superb duo of Tevez and Diego Milito on the best bench in international football, they certainly have a lot of flair and potential for goals. They also boast the excellent Mascherano who can be the linchpin for their side and the experienced tough-tackling Samuel in defence. Goalkeeper Romero is a great talent and one to watch out for. Argentina have a clear idea of their World Cup starting line-up which will be of great help to them.

Weaknesses: Argentina's defence is probably their weakest aspect. They have a couple of strong names at the back in Samuel and Demichelis but it is an area that has been quite suspect in recent times, conceding a few too many goals. Maradona also made the strange decision not to pick the brilliant Zanetti who has been an amazing full-back for Inter Milan this season as well as leaving behind the outstanding defensive midfielder Cambiasso. The argument in favour of Maradona is that neither have done particularly well in the few games they played for their national side in qualifying. However Argentina may yet rue these decisions. Also, although Messi is possibly the biggest football genius since, well, Maradona, he has played a lot better for Barcelona than he has for his country.

Formation: Argentina should line up in a 4-4-2 type of arrangement. Maradona has expressed his wish that the fullbacks do not pass the halfway line which is unusual in an era where rampaging full-backs are all the rage. So it will be a fairly static backline allowing him to play just the one holding midfielder, Mascherano, who will need to cover the full width of the pitch. Veron will also be fairly deep lying looking to spray long precise passes to team-mates in more attacking positions. Gutierrez and Di Maria will be the wingers and Messi will play just off Higuain. Having resisted the temptation of producing a formation that could include all their attacking stars one would suggest the bench might be used a fair amount but with the formation tweaked rather than radically altered during games.

Manager: Diego Maradona is a former national football hero for Argentina. He has also been a controversial figure. The 1986 quarter-final against England typifies his combination of the sublime and the cheat. He equalised with the infamous 'Hand of God' goal before scoring possibly the best goal ever only 3 minutes later. In 1994 he was sent home from the World Cup in disgrace after failing a drugs test. He is both loved and loathed throughout the football world. His position as the very colourful manager of Argentina means no match they play can possibly be considered dull. He lacks managerial experience and has been accused of being both a drug and alcohol addict but he is a national icon. He has promised to run naked through Buenos Aires if Argentina win the World Cup. An unpredictable figure it is hard to gauge how well he will do as manager of Argentina at this World Cup - he could certainly surprise a few people.

Qualification: Argentina finished 4th in the South America qualifying group - the last automatic qualifying position - although they were in serious trouble at various stages throughout qualification. After a patchy 10 rounds in which Argentina had managed 4 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses manager Basile resigned, a few days later Maradona was named manager. In his second qualifying match as manager he oversaw an abysmal 6-1 loss to Bolivia. In general their patchy form continued scoring some wins but also some poor losses including Brazil's first win against Argentina in Argentina. But with 2 wins in their final 2 games Argentina qualified, leaving Uruguay requiring a play-off against Costa Rica.

World Cup pedigree: Argentina have an excellent World Cup pedigree. This is their 15th tournament. They have won twice (1978 and 1986) and finished second twice (1930 and 1990). They have never lost a semi-final but have been knocked out in the quarters on three occasions (1966, 1998 and 2006).

Chance of progression from Group B: 90%, probably in first place.

Greece

Strengths: Greece are a hardworking, organised unit who pay great attention to their defence. It was this outstanding defence that fired them to victory in the Euro 2004 Championships although they lost all 3 games at Euro 2008. They have one player of great goalscoring prowess: Gekas who scored ten goals in ten games during qualifying (top goalscorer in the Europe section) and who in general averages better than a goal every 2.5 games for Greece. They have an experienced squad with some of their most valuable players in their victorious 2004 side still around - such as Seitaridis, Karagounis, Katsouranis and Charisteas. They also work well together as a team.

Weaknesses: Greece lack creativity and flair and their type of game is well documented. Teams well understand that they need to break Greece down and will have practised ways to do so. Their experienced squad members are also aging and will be less effective than they were. Other veterans have retired and been replaced with youth and inexperience. Greece rely on moments of inspiration from their strikers or set pieces. They may be strong at holding onto a lead but they struggle to chase a game effectively. Aside from Gekas only four other players scored in their qualifying campaign. And 9/10 of Gekas' goals were scored against Moldova, Latvia and Luxembourg.

Formation: Greece will likely line-up 4-3-3 although this may change to 3-4-3 depending on the formation of the opposition. Rehaggel is a very tactically aware manager and will prefer 3 at the back when up against two strikers and 4 at the back when up against 3. He will employ 3 up front himself in order to keep the opposition full-backs busy.

Manager: Otto Rehhagel - one of Greece's strengths. He was at the helm when Greece won Euro 2004 and is very tactically astute.

Qualification: Greece finished 2nd behind Switzerland in a fairly easy qualifying group (Israel was the only other tough match). They then faced an aging Ukraine side in the playoffs winning 1-0 on aggregate.

World Cup pedigree: Greece have only made the World Cup finals once before - in 1994. In their Group they faced two teams they will be facing in 2010 - Argentina and Nigeria.

Chance of progression from Group B: 50%, will likely miss out.

Nigeria

Strengths: Nigeria have a solid defensive line-up. The likes of Yobo, Shittu and Etuhu will ensure they are a tough nut to crack. They also have talented attackers in the likes of Kanu, Yakubu and Martins with Odemwingie contributing from midfield. Fullback Taye Taiwo is a quick counter-attacking defender with a ferocious shot.

Weaknesses: Nigeria will really miss their best player Mikel who has been ruled out of the tournament. Mikel is an excellent player, particularly protecting the back four but also going forward. Nigeria do not have the strength of squad that they had in the mid to late nineties when they proved to be a force in world football - thus expectations will not be so high in 2010. Nigeria have received valid criticism for the slow cumbersome way they link defence and attack meaning that they are too predictable moving forward and so are easier to defend against. In other words at times they lack creativity and put the onus for providing such flair on too few shoulders. They have also been criticised for not selecting Anichebe or Ike Uche up front meaning that they instead rely on some old heads which some people fear may not cut it anymore.

Formation: No real indications have been given but 4-4-2 and 4-5-1 are the most likely formations.

Manager: Swede Lars Lagerback was handed the reigns only months ago (26 Feb 2010). He had resigned as Sweden's manager after their failure to qualify for World Cup 2010 - he had been at their helm for around a decade. Albeit hampered by only a short time in the job Lagerback brings experience and the potential for greater organisation. He also has the experience of beating Argentina as a manger - at the group stages of the 2002 World Cup (they won 2-1 and progressed to the 2nd round, Argentina were eliminated).

Qualification: This was far from easy for Nigeria. Going into the last round of games Tunisia were 2 points ahead of Nigeria. However they suffered a 1-0 loss to Mozambique and Nigeria came from behind to defeat Kenya 3-2 and pipped Tunisia in their group by 1 point. Hardly inspiring.

World Cup pedigree: Nigeria have competed in 3 previous world cups (94, 98 and 2002). In both 94 and 98 they qualified for the 2nd round and in their inaugural appearance in 94 almost made the quarters. Leading 1-0 against Italy Baggio equalised with only a couple of minutes remaining and Italy went on to win in extra-time.

Chance of progression from Group B: 60% probably in 2nd.

South Korea

Strengths: South Korea play with good pace and technique and have some good, experienced and influential players who can make a difference in South Africa. The 37 year old veteran keeper Lee Woon-Jae should get the nod and is still an excellent goalkeeper despite his advancing years. Park Ji-Sung is clearly the biggest star, plying his trade at Manchester Utd and a very good attacking threat from midfield. His work rate is undeniable and his service is spot on. Park Chu-Young of Monaco is expected to score the goals. In defence Lee Young-Pyo (33) has amassed 113 caps but it is 25 year old Oh Beom-Seok who is most important having played more qualifying games than any other defender. They defend well as a whole team, proved by conceding a meagre 4 goals from 8 games in their final qualifying group.

Weaknesses: South Korea are not a strong team in the physical sense. There is a danger of them underperforming against more physically dominant opposition and they may be vulnerable at set-pieces. They do not appear to have the individual brilliance that some teams possess. Reports suggest they will have difficulty playing at altitude, if so their game against Argentina will be interesting! It is thought that the more difficult opposititon they will face in South Africa will expose their defence to be weaker than their qualification campaign suggests.

Formation: South Korea traditionally enjoy playing a 4-4-2. Some reports suggest they will play 3-5-2 at the World Cup, I think it would be a mistake if they did.

Manager: Huh Jung-Moo. He has been manager since December 2007. He has revitalised some careers and made his team hard to beat.

Qualification: South Korea comfortably qualified for the World Cup and finished top of their final qualifying group ahead of North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

World Cup pedigree: South Korea have qualified for their 7th consecutive World Cup finals, an Asian record. They had never qualified before this. On each occasion they have been knocked out at the Group Stage, except when as hosts they finished fourth in 2002. This achievement was marred by controversy as very suspect refereeing decisions, particularly against Italy and Spain, helped them to the semi-finals.

Chance of progression from Group B: 50%, will probably miss out.

Group A preview

Group A is one of the most intriguing World Cup groups. It contains France, Mexico, South Africa and Uruguay. It is one of the few groups I can see any 2 of the 4 progressing from.

France

Strengths: France may no longer boast the so-called golden generation of Zidane, Trezeguet, Vieira, Lizarazu, Thuram and Desailly but make no bones about it - they have a quality squad of players. Evra and Gallas are very good defenders. Up front with Cisse, Govou, Gignac, Henry and Anelka there is talent all round. Midfield is their biggest strength featuring the exceptional Ribery. Toulalan is maturing into his defensive midfield role, Malouda is a classy player (quick, comfortable in possession and capable of providing a killer final ball) and Valbuena the newcomer is an exciting prospect. He is not expected to be in the starting line-up but he proved his worth scoring the winner in a recent friendly against Costa Rica. Not to mention Gourcoff, French Player of the Year.

Weaknesses: They are inexperienced and undecided in their goalkeeping department. Lloris and Mandanda played 6 games each in qualifying and they have both featured in friendlies. Both are only just into their double figures in terms of appearances for the national side. Expect Lloris of Lyon to start. Whilst France have talent up front none of them except Henry have been prolific in an international jersey. France will probably play with one main man up front. - this used to be Henry but he has been relegated to the bench with Anelka to step up. Anelka has never quite reproduced the form and brilliance for France that he has shown a number of times for his club teams. Gallas, the mainstay of the French defence, will go into the World Cup lacking in match practise and potentially not fully recovered from the injury which has blighted his season. France may miss the excellent Lassana Diarra who is missing the World Cup through illness. Whether or not one can read much into friendlies is debateable but they have drawn with Tunisia and lost to China, the kind of form a team doesn't want heading into a world cup.

Formation: France generally employed a 4-2-3-1 in qualifying which proved to be rather stale. They look to have abandoned this in favour of a 4-3-3 formation which could be conducive to flair. Anelka will lead the line with Ribery and Govou supporting him on the flanks. Toulalan should protect the defence, Malouda will provide a good link between the midfield and attack and Gourcoff will be the dead ball specialist.

Manager: Raymond Domenech - he has been regularly and justifiably criticised for how he has performed in his managerial role - also a potential weakness for the French side.

Qualification: France finished one point behind Serbia in their qualifying group and in truth it was a patchy campaign overall. They needed to overcome Ireland in the playoffs. France won the first leg 1-0 and 90 minutes of the second leg finished 1-0 to Ireland sending them to extra-time. In truth Ireland had battered France but had been unable to convert a crucial second goal. With the game heading towards penalties Henry conjured up an assist for one of the most controversial goals in history. Henry blatantly handled the ball twice with his left hand before tapping the ball with his right foot across the goal to Gallas who was on hand to stab it home. The referee did not spot the infringement, the goal stood, and the whole of Ireland have had to suck it up since then.

World Cup pedigree: This is France's 13th (out of 19) appearance at a world cup finals. They have won the World Cup on one occasion (1998), lost in the final once (2006) and finished 3rd twice (1958 and 1986). The two excellent world cups they had in 1998 and 2006 came either side of their biggest disappointment. In 2002 they exited at the group stage - finishing last in a group with Senegal, Denmark and Uruguay, without even scoring a goal.

Chance of progression from Group A: 75%, probably in 1st place.

Mexico

Strengths: Rafael Marquez is an exceptional and experienced central defender who has played many games for his club, one of the best in the world, Barcelona. He has excellent leadership skills and will be wanting to make an impression at what could be his last world cup. He is versatile as he can also play in the holding midfield role. Javier Hernandez is a very highly rated striker. He is only 22 years old but he has recently agreed to sign for Manchester United for an undisclosed fee (possibly in the region of 7-10 million pounds). He has scored 7 goals in 12 appearances for Mexico and averages just less than one in two for his club side in Mexico. Vela is agile and an attacking threat although his shooting is rather hit and miss. Giovani dos Santos is an exciting player. The squad has a nice mix of young talent and experience.

Weaknesses: Mexico will miss their biggest star Jared Borghetti, their all-time leading goalscorer. They are lacking in strikers who can convert their many chances, sometimes Vela gets in great positions with great service only to miss a great chance. Franco who plays furthest up the field is poor in comparison to players playing in similar positions for other teams. The highly capped Gerrardo Torrado in midfield is aging and not quite the player he was. The squad is a little too heavy with players based in the Mexican league which is not one of the strongest leagues in the world. Whilst they have a decent squad they only have 3 or 4 top quality players. Giovani dos Santos' angry outburst at the dropping of his brother Jonathan from the preliminary squad has the potential to destabilise.

Formation: Mexico are likely to play 3-4-3. In possession their 3 central defenders will spread wide at the back. As the attack moves up the pitch Marquez has freedom to push up leaving his other two centre-backs covering deep. They have players wide in all areas of the pitch as they look to stretch the play. In defence they have 5 men at the back as the 2 wing-backs drop into defence. Marquez can, if necessary, push further up in this situation to defend against any player 'playing in the hole'. It is a fluid formation which has the potential to create many goalscoring opportunities and it seems more dangerous than the 4-4-2 system he had inherited.

Manager: Javier Aguirre took over from Sven Goran Erikkson after the team under his tutelage had a poor start to their qualifying campaign. Without knowing much about him he appears to be doing a reasonable job.

Qualification: After a poor start Mexico ultimately qualified in second place behind the USA. For a fairly decent team like Mexico they are lucky to have an easier route to the finals than many due to their Geograpghy.

World Cup pedigree: After being disqualified from competing in qualification for the 1990 World Cup tournament for fielding over-age players in an under 20 tournament they have not only been in every tournament since, they have qualified for the 2nd round. They are bidding to be the first team to do so on five consecutive occasions. On each occasion they also fell at the 2nd round hurdle. Their best showing is reaching the quarter-finals in 1970 and 1986 (when it was held in Mexico).

Chance of progression from Group A: 60%, probably in 2nd place.

South Africa

Strengths: Being home nation is a huge strength. No home nation has failed to make the knock-out stages of the World Cup and the massive support and buzz from the home fans will inspire them to play at their highest level. They may also get a (subconscious) helping hand from the referees. In 2002 South Korea made the semi-finals in part due to some shocking decisions that went their way. Not necessarily saying it's a FIFA conspiracy but home advantage is important in many ways. Their best player is Steven Pienaar of Everton who is a quality midfield general. Other talented players include the attacking fullback Masilela of Maccabi Haifa and the skilful winger Modise of the Orlando Pirates. Striker Mphela has a good record of scoring goals for South Africa. They are also currently on a run of eleven matches unbeaten.

Weaknesses: Firstly, South Africa have very few players considered top quality by world standards. Indeed their players are a mixed bag whose names won't strike fear into the opposition. Many of their players play in the South African league and therefore lack in experience at playing top competition domestically. Benni McCarthy, South Africa's all-time leading goalscorer and the man who was expected to lead the line at the World Cup, has not been selected. It is easy to see why as he was deemed too large and unfit, backed up by him having had very little playing time for West Ham United. South Africa have not had as much international competition as the other nations by virtue of not having to qualify for the world cup. Thus some of the squad lack match practise.

Formation: I think South Africa will play with a traditional 4-4-2 formation.

Manager: Carlos Alberto Parreira is Brazilian born and has previously led 4 teams to 5 World Cups. He took Brazil to victory in 1994 and the quarter-final in 2006 and managed Kuwait, UAE and Saudi Arabia at the 1982, 1990 and 1998 tournaments respectively. He is an experienced manager being in the business for 43 years including 11 spells as an international manager. Will his experience help South Africa? That is the burning question.

Qualification: As hosts they are the only team who didn't need to qualify.

World Cup pedigree: South Africa did not attempt to enter the first 7 tournaments. They were banned for the next 7 due to apartheid. In the last 4 they did not manage to qualify in 1994 or 2006 but made it in 1998 and 2002. On both those occasions they didn't make it through the group stages. In 2002 they were very unlucky - missing out by the narrowest of margins. They finished on equal points (4) with Paraguay and both had a goal difference of zero. The difference was Paraguay had scored and conceded 5 whilst South Africa had scored and conceded 4 times. The most beautiful moment for me of course was when Lucas Radebe, possibly my favourite ever player - true gent and Leeds legend, powered in a header in their 3-2 loss to Spain.

Chance of progression from Group A: 45%, probably miss out.

Uruguay

Strengths: Uruguay have a talented forward line. Forlan has been on great form for Athletico Madrid (for whom he averages more than a goal every two games), Suarez scores for fun for Ajax and Abreu is also prolific, currently 1 goal behind Scarone's all-time record for Uruguay. A superb front line, they will be hoping for good service! They have two good holding midfielders which gives them solidity, Gargano is particularly highly rated in this regard.

Weaknesses: A lack of creativity in midfield. They have picked 3 inexperienced keepers to take to the World Cup and who will start in the first game does not appear to have been resolved. They are an inconsistent team who are capable of victories against quality opposition and stumbling against weaker teams. In terms of general quality in their squad they do not match up to a number of teams at the World Cup.

Formation: Uruguay have experimented in qualification with 4-4-2, 4-3-3 and latterly 3-5-2. They are likely to line up 3-5-2 at the World Cup which would not be common. If they do it will be interesting to see how effective it is against 4-4-2.

Manager: Oscar Tabarez. An experienced manager who was also at the helm for the 1990 World Cup.

Qualification: Uruguay finished 5th in South America and were forced to playoff against 4th in Central America - Costa Rica. They won 1-0 in the first leg and drew 1-1 in the second.

World Cup pedigree: Uruguay have a very mixed World Cup pedigree. They won the tournament in 1930 and 1950 but did not enter in the two in between (1934 to protest against the European teams who boycotted in 1930 and 1938 to protest against the World Cup being held in France when it was supposed to alternate between South America and Europe). 1950's victory in the final against Brazil was one of the World Cup's biggest shocks. Since 1950 they have finished 4th twice (1954 and 1970), knocked out in the quarters once (1966), knocked out in the second round twice (1986 and 1990), knocked out in the first round three times (1962, 1974 and 2002) and failed to qualify six times (1958, 1978, 1982, 1994, 1998 and 2006).

Chance of progression from Group A: 55%, could miss out at a whisker.

Player Profile Number 8: Alexander Frei

My Group H player profile is Alexander Frei of Switzerland.

Alexander Frei, 30, of Basel is a prolific goalscorer. Throughout his career his strike rate has been roughly a goal every two games - at both domestic (for the likes of Luzern, Servette, Renais, Borussia Dortmund and Basel) and international level. For Basel and for Switzerland he has forged a good partnership with Marco Streller who is also a regular goalscorer. With the recent news that Streller has been ruled out of the World Cup due to injury the onus goes right back on Frei.

For me Frei is probably going to be the difference between Switzerland progressing to the second round or not. He is Switzerland's all time record goalscorer (40 from 73 games) and has 5 goals in qualifying. He is a poacher with excellent anticipation and timing. He can go missing for long periods of a game but then come up trumps with a goal.

For Switzerland's hopes Frei must be on top form at the World Cup if he is to make an impression on the biggest stage of them all.

Player Profile Number 7: Didier Zokora

My player profile for Group G is Didier Zokora of the Ivory Coast (C'ote d'Ivoire).

The lesser known Didier of the Ivory Coast pack, Zokora is crucial to the Ivory Coast's World Cup chances. He is a defensive central midfield player who also loves to get forward. He is powerful, tough in the tackle and with the propensity for the Ivory Coast to want to attack his defensive attributes in the middle of the park will be key. Sometimes he likes to get forward just a little too often which can leave the team exposed - hopefully Sven Goran Erikkson has impressed on him that he must not neglect his defensive duties, particularly when you have to combat the attacking thrusts of Brazil and Portugal.

Zokora makes good runs on the ball and is a useful passer of the ball, albeit his precision over longer distances is inconsistent. He is one half of his integral partnership with Yaya Toure whose game is built more around quick incisive passing and getting the ball to players in threatening areas of the park.

Zokora is the Ivory Coast's most capped player (80) and has played a considerable number of games at Racing Genk, Saint-Etienne and Tottenham Hotspurs. He is currently plying his trade at Sevilla. At 29 he is at an excellent age to dominate in the middle of the park but please don't encourage him to shoot...check out his goalscoring record if you don't believe me!

Hopefully Didier will help his side navigate the murky waters of Group G.

Player Profile Number 6: Tommy Smith

Tommy Smith of NZ is the player I profile from Group F.

Tommy Smith is a product of the Ipswich Town academy. At the tender age of 20 he has already suffered two horrific injuries - the first a broken ankle, the second to his hand. This has meant opportunities for him to impress in the Ipswich Town first team have been limited. He has played 16 league games for Ipswich Town of the Championship,15 on loan for Stevenage Borough of the Conference and 8 on loan for Brentford of League 1.

Thus the English born Smith (like many of the NZ team) has had an inauspicious start as a professional footballer. However this defender can boast being a member of the England U17 and U18 squad. He is allowed to play for NZ thanks to FIFA recently overturning the rule that said if you play for one country's age group side they are also the only international team you can play for. Having spent a number of years living in NZ as a youngster Smith had dual nationality and elected to play for the All Whites once they had qualified for South Africa.

I have only had the pleasure of watching him in one and a half games of football: first as a substitute in the friendly against Australia and then starting in New Zealand's historic victory over Serbia. Against Australia he was employed in the left wing-back role and was very composed both in defence and attack. Against Serbia, ranked 15th in the world, he played on the left side in a central defensive three and barely put a foot wrong.

He appears to be a young man who has a big future. He is a very likely starter in the New Zealand defence. NZ will have to be at its top defensively if it is to have any chance of positive results at the World Cup and so Tommy Smith shapes up as a crucial player. I have the sneaking suspicion he will equip himself very well.

Player Profile Number 5: Arjen Robben

Arjen Robben of the Netherlands is my player profile from Group E.

Every single game I have watched Robben play I have been impressed. He always appears to have such time on the ball. He is an exciting player and a very adept winger. He creates opportunities for his team mates and has scored many very high quality goals. In a team that has so many good players Robben continually stands out for me and if the Netherlands are to win their first ever world cup they will need this man at the top of his game.

Whether it be for Groningen, PSV, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or the Netherlands Robben never fails to excite. This season particularly he is in excellent goalscoring form. He also won the title of footballer of the year in Germany on 25 May 2010. My only criticism of him is that he appears to be a bit of a diver. I can't imagine the World Cup featuring no simulation for Robben, and when it does occur, it will be interesting to see if it wins his side freekicks or if he will get booked.

Player Profile Number 4: Sulley Muntari

Sulley Muntari of Ghana is my player profile for Group D.

If Ghana are going to qualify from Group D they will need Sulley Muntari to be on fire. Reeling from the absence of Michael Essien Muntari will have to do the work of about 1.5 men.

Muntari is a strong ball winning midfielder currently plying his trade at Inter Milan. He also has the ability to bomb forward and create goal scoring opportunities for the strikers, occasionally popping up with one himself. He has always been immensely talented but has suffered from ill-discipline. He gets far too many red cards. He needs to make sure that at the World Cup he channels his aggression into a positive focus. I will back him to do so.

Getting past a midfield wall of Essien and Muntari is incredibly difficult. Now with Essien gone Muntari will really have his work cut out. Whether he manages to step up to the mark could easily be the difference between qualification or not.

Player Profile Number 3 Aaron Lennon

Aaron Lennon of England is my Group C Player Profile.

Aaron Lennon is a player I have followed very closely since he was 16 years old and broke into Leeds Utd's first team squad, in the Premier League. He moved to Tottenham Hotspurs in 2005 due to Leeds financial difficulties (for a shockingly low 1 million pounds) and because they were playing in the Championship and not the Premier League. For 3 seasons in a row Lennon was nominated as the PFA young player of the year but on each occasion was beaten to the title - by Wayne Rooney, Christiano Ronaldo and Ashley Young respectively.

Right from the age of 16 it was apparent to me that he was something special and would one day in the not so distant future play for England. He has blistering pace, close ball control and the ability to beat players. He can pass quickly, move into dangerous positions at pace, whip in a good cross and finish adeptly. Lennon has been injured for much of this season but is coming back to full fitness. He is probably vying with Walcott for a starting role on the right wing, and I for one would pick him. Lennon is of higher quality and is more consistent than Walcott but it's a nice selection dilemma for England to have.

I am hoping for big things from this young man at the 2010 World Cup

Let's Shock The World: World Cup podcast

My friend Hayden Henderson and I are doing a regular podcast for the World Cup. We recorded our first one about half a day before the All Whites played Serbia. We talk about New Zealand's side and our chances at World Cup 2010, we preview Groups A, B, C and D and we both pick a dark horse.

The All Whites magnificent and monumental victory over Serbia just proves we do have the potential to shock the world. And just goes to prove our fallibility as well particularly given some of Hayden's comments.

You can find the link here. Enjoy! You can also subscribe through iTunes.

Let me know what you think.

Why I love the World Cup

The 2010 Football World Cup is rapidly approaching and I am amped. I spend hours a day poring over articles about every aspect of the tournament and I re-live previous tournaments through any means possible. I watch all of the TV that is even vaguely related to the tournament: “Official World Cup Preview”, “Destination South Africa”, “The Greatest of Our Time”, “World Football Rivalries” and anything else I can get my hands on. I own books that detail every single game played at every World Cup since it started. I plan to watch every minute of the World Cup. I did it in 2006 and 2002 and watched every second that my parents allowed me to in 1990, 1994 and 1998. And I have seen many hours of archived footage of all the other tournaments. Basically I am obsessed. This blog post will explore why the World Cup is so important to me and the rest of the football mad planet.

First and foremost, the Football World Cup is the biggest sporting event on the planet. Whilst I love the club team Leeds United more than any other sporting team there ever was or ever will be (by a long long way) the Football World Cup as a tournament dwarfs anything and everything. It is a month of a smorgasbord of football. 64 mouth-watering games with 32 teams (countries) battling it out for the right to call themselves world champions.

Qualification for the Football World Cup is arduous. The same countries do not appear in every tournament as qualification is so intense and difficult for many teams. Each World Cup there are big football nations that miss out on the competition such as Netherlands in 02. The 2010 version does not feature Croatia, Russia and Czech Republic for example.

The vast majority of the countries that get to appear at the Football World Cup are football mad. They are nations obsessed with success at the tournament. For some it is because of their proud histories: think England, Italy, France, Germany etc. For others it is in part because of the poverty of their populace: think African countries among others. In hard times football is something that can bind the whole country together. Wannabe footballers from the age of 4 upwards spend hours playing football on the streets emulating their heroes and dreaming of becoming a hero for the next generation. The country comes to a standstill when their nation plays and the whole nation breathe collective sighs of relief; celebrate with joyous ecstasy or bond in devastating despair. The countries footballers carry the hopes and dreams of their nation. And whilst to a non-football fan this seems silly, there is a perfect sense to it all.

One of the beautiful things about football is the intense rivalries. Matches between England and Germany, Spain and Portugal, England and Argentina, Germany and the Netherlands, to name but a few, are more than about football. They are moulded from the battlefields of war. They also develop from (perceived) injustices and bad luck suffered on the football pitch.

Would England v Germany have quite the same bite without (for example)

- the 2 world wars

- the controversial Hurst goal in the 66 World Cup Final (for which debate rages to this day as to whether the ball crossed the line),

- England’s semi-final penalty shoot-out losses in 1990 and 1996

No it would not.

Would England Argentina have quite the same bite without

- the Falklands War

- Ramsey’s description of the Argentinean players as ‘animals’ in the 1966 quarter-final after being so incensed by their dirty play

- the Maradona ‘Hand-of-God’ in 86,

- the Beckham sending off and penalty shoot-out loss in 1998,

- the Beckham penalty goal in 2002 (was it an Owen dive?)?

Again, no it would not.

Football history is littered with these kinds of rivalries. In the 2006 World Cup Angola found themselves in the same group as Portugal – the country from which they gained their independence in 1975. (They lost 1-0). In 2002 the opening game of the World Cup was Senegal France. Senegal gained its independence from France in 1960 and one of France’s best ever footballers, who happened to be playing in that match was Patrick Vieira – a man born in Senegal. Senegal stunned the football world with a beautiful 1-0 victory. That match epitomised in many ways the beauty of both football and the World Cup in general.

The 2010 Football World Cup will be a month long carnival no doubt featuring

- many of the world’s best footballers (who by virtue of this are also celebrities)
- brilliant games
- spectacular goals
- scrappy, lucky goals,
- sublime skill
- controversial decisions
- one or two minnows who surprise the world and make the quarter-finals
- massive games between footballing powerhouses
- unlucky, unjustified and justified suspensions from some of the bigger games
- the drama of at least one penalty shoot-out
- tears
- ecstasy
- despair
- laughter
- the odd bit of hooliganism
- injuries
- diving
- frustrations
- MUCH MUCH MORE.

What can you expect from this blog as we countdown to (and during) the tournament? I will be profiling each team, each group. I will be discussing team and squad selections, pointing out some of the interesting ironies, analysing the games, perhaps making the odd prediction or two and a lot more.

Join me on this journey. Comment, discuss, and argue over the beautiful game on the biggest stage of them all.