Group E's second set of games

Netherlands 1-0 Japan

The Netherlands ultimately had a straight forward win but they were made to work hard for it. We still haven't seen the vintage Dutch they are capable of but perhaps they are saving that for later in the competition. The first half was largely forgettable, the odd chance for either side went begging. Early in the second half, a few minutes after van Persie missed a beautifully crafted chance, Sneijder pounced on a loose ball and smashed a ferocious shot from 20+ yards - Narazaki got a fair bit on his attempted save but it wasn't enough, instead diverting its path slightly and hitting the empty net. Perhaps he should have done better but few could surely blame him for a shot that was just too hot to handle. Second half sub for Holland, Afellay, impressed - although he had two wonderful opportunities to increase the lead at the death, but was denied. Japan had played their part in the game but had not really created enough to possess a sustained challenge.

Denmark 2-1 Cameroon

This was perhaps the most open game of the tournament. It was end-to-end stuff with plenty of chances to both sides, helped by the often appalling defending. Cameroon had thankfully got their personnel and tactics right this time. Alex Song was back in the starting eleven and Eto'o was given a more central role. This paid dividends when Cameroon opened the scoring early. Poulsen (who had been guilty of the own goal against Japan) played a slack pass that enabled Webo to nip in and feed Eto'o for a nice finish. For Cameroon Eto'o and Emana had top games and Webo was good value except for his woeful shooting.

Denmark's first goal was a gorgeous move. Kjaer played an inch perfect downfield diagonal pass to Rommedahl on the right wing who squared it perfectly into the path of Bendtner to finish. The second goal Bendtner set up Rommedahl for a superb finish. Tomasson was disappointing as he was unable to find the back of the net, criminally wasting some excellent opportunities - and thereby failing to equal Poul Nielsen's 85 year record of 52 goals for Denmark.

Both sides were creative, had chances, missed sitters, had good interplay, scored nice goals in an intriguing match that could have gone either way.

Unluckily for Cameroon it resulted in elimination from the tournament.

Group D's second round of games

Serbia 1-0 Germany

Serbia managed a famous victory to throw Group D wide open. The main talking point was the red card to Klose - it was a very harsh red card, both for yellows that could so easily have been free kicks and nothing more. The sending off must have had an immediate psychological affect as within a couple of minutes Serbia were in the lead. It was a nice move, rounded off expertly by Jovanovic but the marking on him was non existent and enabled what was ultimately an easy route to goal.

However just because Serbia had a one man advantage didn't mean that Germany didn't have chances or weren't able to exert pressure. Khedira, who got through a mountain of solid graft and passing in the middle of the park struck the bar with a good shot from inside the penalty box. Germany were also justifiably awarded a penalty in the second half - Podolski's shot was saved. Very unlike the Germans to lose a football match by virtue of missing a penalty.

Serbia looked good. Krasic showed why he is rated highly as a winger and Subotic thwarted many German attacks, upstaging his more venerated team-mates Vidic and Ivanovic.

Ghana 1-1 Austalia

The match started in a positive manner but there was little in the way of chances for either side. Kewell felt he had been tripped by keeper Kingson - it would have been a soft penalty to concede but it could have been given. Australia took an early lead after Kingson spilled a Bresciano free-kick and Hollman tucked the ball away.

Later in the half Jonathan Mensah fired a strong shot on goal only for the referee to adjudge that Harry Kewell had handled on the line - awarded a penalty and sent Kewell off. The Australians were livid but I felt it was justified. Kewell may not have been standing there with the intention to handle but the fact remains his arms were not stuck to his sides, they were extended. He had done nothing to prevent the ball hitting his arm - he had stood on the line and hoped for the best. The penalty was definitely correct, some may argue about the red card but you will hear no complaints from me.

The second half saw lots of effort from the Ghanaians to produce the elusive winner. But by the same token Australia not only defended valiantly but created opportunities of their own. Scott Chipperfield headed over from close range, Wilkshire had a shot saved. Ghana lacked incision and penetration and their shooting was off target but they were, for the most part, the most dangerous of the two sides. However in the closing stages it was Australia who looked most likely to score. 1-1 was a fair result.

Ghana will be pleased that having rested centre-backs John Mensah and Isaac Vorsah (due to injury) that Lee Addy and Jonathan Mensah came through unscathed. Expect the first choice pairing to return for the Germany match.

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 B's second round of games

Argentina 4-1 South Korea

Argentina were thoroughly dominant against South Korea. The South Americans were lively and creative in the opening stages but hardly had a shot on target before they were ahead. A well delivered cross from Messi was botched by the defence, Park Chu-young turning it into his own net. Soon it was 2-0 with a goal from Higuain, but with half-time fast approaching Argentina failed to take a deserved two goal lead into the break - Demichelis criminally lingered on the ball too long allowing Lee Chung-yong to latch onto it before firing home. The South Koreans had one spell of sustained pressure which came midway through the second half - Yeom Ki-hun had a wonderful opportunity to equalise but his shot hit the side netting. Normal service was resumed and Higuain completed a hat-trick. His finishes were all simple and all the goals came as a result of sumptuous build up play from the Argentinians, Messi being the common denominator of them all. South Korea had had very little answer to an Argentinian master-class.

Greece 2-1 Nigeria

Greece picked up their first ever victory in a World Cup finals match. Nigeria scored an early goal thanks to the Greek keeper Tsorvas moving to a spot where he predicted Odemwingie would aim his header - instead Odemwingie ducked under the ball and let it bounce invitingly into an empty net. It was in truth, poor goal-keeping. Greece came right back into the game when Kaita of Nigeria had a brain explosion and was rightfully sent off. The ball had gone out for a throw and Kaita was so enraged that he kicked out, studs up at Torosidis. Torosidis may have gone down like a sack of spuds and wrongly started clutching his face but it was a clear red, and one that had severely dented the Nigerians chances of hanging on. Salpingidis equalised not too long after thanks to a massive deflection off Haruna.

The second half saw Greece dominant. It was as if the sending off had left Nigeria bereft of any ideas and had completely turned the tide the opposite way. Enyeama was again on inspired form again so it was a pity that it was he who made the mistake that caused an equaliser for the Greeks. He failed to hold onto a shot that should have been saved from Tziolis, helping the ball into the path of Torosidis to stab home. It was perhaps the first goalkeeping mistake I could put partly down to the swerve of the Jabulani ball (or was it the altitude) and it was a great shame after such brilliant performances in both games, that Enyeama would provide the basis for the goal. All 3 goals of the game were down to errors and the sending off had completely changed the complexion of the match, but the long and the short of it was - Greece had a first World Cup win and Nigeria were left ruing what might have been.

Group A's second round of matches

Uruguay 3-0 South Africa

Uruguay outclassed South Africa, achieving a comfortable victory. They dominated proceedings and despite the fervent home support Forlan was able to score a long range effort (with the help of a Mokoena deflection) and powered home a penalty after Khune was adjudged to have brought Suarez down with a trailing left foot (and was sent off for his troubles). The third, headed in by Pereira, put the icing on the cake but it was little more than Uruguay deserved. Forlan was the most impressive throughout, and alongside a very dangerous Suarez they have a strikeforce to be feared. South Africa made too many mistakes both on defence and attack. 

Mexico 2-0 France

For the most part the game was a closely fought affair although France never looked like breaking the deadlock. The opening third saw an entertaining end-to-end encounter in which France found it difficult to create many clearcut chances, while Mexico's attacking trio, as well as the marauding Salcido came close on a number of occasions. As the match continued a pattern emerged of plenty of unrealised industry from the French and swift dangerous counter attacking from the Mexicans.

The breakthrough finally came when Marquez played a delightful long ball for Hernandez to collect, round Lloris and slide home. Hernandez was on in place of the injured Vela which to my mind was no bad thing. Whilst Vela showed talent and skill I still maintain he misses too many goals! With Mexico in the lead French attacks became even more inert and non-threatening. The win was sealed when 37 year old Blanco scored from the spot after Barrera was felled leaving France needing a minor miracle to qualify.

Team of the Opening Round of Games

So...who was most impressive, who deserves to be in the best eleven of the tournament after all teams have played one game?

Goalkeeper -

An obvious choice. Enyeama of Nigeria was sensational in thwarting Argentina and Messi in particular

Defence -

Right-back is surely Maicon (Brazil) who defended well, attacked with thrust down the wing and scored a sensational goal

Left-back is Vidal (Chile) who was very impressive in all facets of his game.

Honorary full-back mention goes to Lahm who defended and attacked well for Germany and handled the captaincy very well in their 4-0 win over Australia

Centre-backs: Grichting is in by virtue of his superb marshalling of the Swiss defence in their shock victory over Spain. He thwarted the Spanish time and again. Onyewu was very strong against the English defence and caused problems all over the pitch (and yet was never caught out of position)

Honorary mentions go to Winston Reid (New Zealand) and Alcaraz (Paraguay). Both defended very well and scored superb, crucial headed goals for their team.

Midfield: With a lack of strikers scoring goals in the opening games I have opted for 5 midfielders (although one of them generates debate as to whether you would define his postion as an attacking midfielder, winger or forward as he can be deployed in any of those. -

Defensive midfield spot goes to Mascherano who protected his defence and provided the perfect link between defence and attack for Argentina in their game against Nigeria.

Right wing goes to Alexis Sanchez who terrorised the Honduras defence with a masterclass of talent and technique. Left wing goes to Thomas Mueller of Germany who was an integral part in the brilliance of the Germans demolition of Australia, including scoring with a clinical finish.

Honorary mentions go to Tshabalala (South Africa), Podolski (Germany), Dos Santos (Mexico)

Central/attacking midfield goes to Ji Sung Park who was instrumental in South Korea's defeat of Greece including capitalising on a mistake to score a good goal. He is partnered by Ozil who was my man of the match for Germany - such beautiful speed, movement and incisive passing.

Honorary mention: Honda (Japan) who was their best player against Cameroon.

Striker -

Gyan (Ghana) put in a lot of effort and quality in their win over Serbia. All attacks seemed to centre around him and he very coolly slotted his penalty home for the victory.

Honorary mention: Messi could easily take the striker spot or the 'in-the-hole' position. He had 3 excellent shots on goal but he was not quite the crucial cog of the team that Gyan, Park Ji Sung and Ozil were.

Group H opening games

Chile 1-0 Honduras

Chile were worthy winners. They attacked with verve and imposed themselves on the game right from the outset. Honduras were forced to spend most of their time defending although they did have a couple of reasonable opportunities. It was a bit of a surprise that Chile were only able to score one goal, and a slightly fortuitous one at that - a sumptuous move ended with Mendoza inadvertently playing the ball against Beausejour's backside resulting in a goal. Sanchez was particularly impressive throughout the game as were the likes of Vidal and Valdivia. The referee was one of the tournament's worst however including a yellow card for mistaken identity to Palacios, yellow cards for clean tackles, and missing a probable penalty.

Switzerland 1-0 Spain

As the game got underway my first thought, as it probably was always going to be, was...wow - Spain can afford to have Fabregas and Torres on the bench. What a squad they have! Spain employed a five man midfield consisting of Xabi Alonso, Busquets, Xavi, Silva and Iniesta with Villa leading the line, Pique, Puyol, Ramos and Capdevilla in defence, and Casillas in goal. In other words, a five star line-up with the quality of Navas, Fabregas, Torres and Pedro on the bench.

As the game got into its swing I marvelled at the beautiful passing of the Spanish team. They kept possession so effortlessly, their short and long range passing so precise and their build up play patient and composed, they were an absolute delight to watch. Spain dominated proceedings and created some decent opportunities but not as many as they should have given their dominance. Switzerland defended very well and Grichting in particular was impressive at the back.

The winning goal came as a result of a break away, ricochets galore, confusion in the box and ultimately a ball stabbed home from close range by Fernandes. The Swiss goal was put under intense pressure for the rest of the match but they held firm for their first ever victory against Spain, putting the favourites into trouble in the early stages of Group H. Surprisingly Fabregas wasn't even given the opportunity off the substitutes bench, Torres was but was unable to provide the goal that Spain were so desperately crying out for.

Group G opening games

Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal

This was a match I had been really looking forward to. Two teams stocked full of talent, in what some describe as the Group of Death, playing an opening game that is potentially crucial for determining who will go through. The match did not live up to its billing. Both teams played a structured, disciplined game that at times lacked the spark and creativity that I had been expecting. The moment of the game came in the first half when Ronaldo thundered a 30 yard drive against the post. Apart from that both sides lacked penetration, partly as a result of strong defences. Gervinho was the most impressive Ivory Coast player but even he failed to produce many clearcut opportunities. The injured Drogba came on as a substitute midway through the second half - but even he was unable to galvanise the game, or indeed score with his last minute opportunity. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't a terrible game, there was still quality shown on both sides, but it was surely disappointing.

Brazil 2-1 North Korea

The first observation I would like to make is regarding a passionate, emotional and stirring performance from Jong Tae-Se during the national anthem. He was visibly in a constant stream of tears, quite a moving performance from the man who is a citizen of South Korea, resident of Japan but educated at North Korean schools and universities in Japan! This was a very engaging game. North Korea battled valiantly in defence. They defended in numbers and it appeared any time a Brazilian had the ball there were around 8 North Koreans in close proximity preventing any real penetration. Brazil were restricted to a number of long range shots and really found the going tough.

The breakthrough finally came on around 55 minutes when Maicon, the marauding right-back smashed the ball in between the goalkeeper (who was anticipating a cross) and the near post. It has been speculated that this was an attempted cross but I believe it was purposeful, and wasn't it smashed home beautifully. The Brazilians were visibly relieved and later scored a beautifully crafted second goal. Robinho played an inch perfect angled through ball to Elano who hit a precise low shot into the bottom right hand corner.

North Korea, whilst defending for much of the match, had managed some moments in attack. Incredibly they scored a late consolation goal. Ji Yung-Nam powered into the box and smashed home from close range. It was an encouraging performance from the North Koreans, who if they continue in this vein, will be difficult for Portugal and the Ivory Coast to break down.

Group F opening games

Paraguay 1-1 Italy

This was an engaging game with quality passing football on show. Paraguay looked like a side who had finished only one point behind Brazil in qualification and were well worth their 1-0 lead at half-time. They were happy to soak up Italian pressure and catch them on the break with slick fluid passing. Alcarez's header to put them into the lead was quality. Italy, for all their ball, were rather stale at times. And when the equaliser finally game it was fortuitous. Goalkeeper Villmar completely missed the cross and de Rossi was on hand to stab home. For Italy I felt the best players were Pepe who looked dangerous all game, and Camaronesi who came on in the second half. They clearly missed the quality of Pirlo in midfield. Buffon also suffered an injury...what damage will that do to the hopes of Italians everywhere? Paraguay have had it tough with star man Cabanas ruled out of the tournament before it began (thanks to the shooting in the head I have previously blogged about) and Santa Cruz only just coming back from injury. But they are a real prospect in Group F in my view.

New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia

The moment all we Kiwis had been waiting for. New Zealand back on the biggest stage of them all, 28 years between drinks. This was widely viewed as New Zealand's greatest chance to get a result at the World Cup but the international media had written us off. New Zealand played its usual 3-4-3 with the only talking point of the starting lineup being that Vicelich was to partner Elliott in midfield.

The first half finished all square. This wasn't without nervy moments as Paston almost embarrassed himself with a clearance that instead skimmed gently off his foot. He did well enough to recover though. New Zealand had done well to limit Slovakia to a couple of good chances. The best being when their two most impressive players combined - Weiss feeding Sestak for a good chance - but he fired wide. The best chance of the half was arguably Killen's tame header that didn't threaten a goal. New Zealand certainly weren't overawed.

Disaster struck early in the second half when Vittek headed in a Weiss cross. Reid arguably hadn't marked tightly enough but the Kiwis had a right to be aggrieved, replays showed he was clearly offside, by about a foot. New Zealand didn't create many second half chances but the striker who threatened the most was always Smeltz. Fallon and Killen by contrast never looked like scoring, although they helped well with the defending. Central midfield gave the ball away too often and Elliott who had played well in the first half started to tire and made too many mistakes in the second. The central defensive trio of Nelsen, Smith and Reid were beautifully composed however and are the real strength to the Kiwis. Bertos was often anonymous as he was sucked into defensive duties too often and Lochhead was an inconsistent mixture of good and bad.

I thought the final chance had come and gone when Smeltz headed a cross wide with less than two minutes remaining. But with the last play of the game Smeltz sent in an excellent cross and Reid powered a header home to write his name in NZ folklore. It was a beautiful goal and the Kiwis celebrated their first ever World Cup point. Reid was booked for removing his shirt so he needs to be careful in the second match to avoid a suspension.

In truth it was a poor game but for a Kiwi supporter like me it was intense, it was fascinating and it was ultimately rewarding. The Slovakian manager Vladimir Weiss called it a minor sporting tragedy but in truth, whilst they had looked better than New Zealand with ball at feet they had not created enough goalscoring opportunities to win.

Group E opening games

Netherlands 2-0 Denmark

The Netherlands have some of the best attackers in the world eg van Persie, van der Waart, Sneijder etc. They are usually fluid and exciting as well. In this game however they were not so fluent or fluid and instead it was a workmanlike Dutch performance. The Danes were even less threatening on attack. Having said that there were still opportunities for both sides and the Dutch showed occasional flashes of why we rate them so highly. The first goal came from an own goal. Poulsen headed it into his own goal from a van Persie cross (brushing the back of Agger). The second goal was a lovely move with a simple finish for Kuyt. Even the 18 year old Erikksen for Denmark couldn't quite light up proceedings for them. A bit of talent and quality experience from them from time to time but a largely forgettable performance by them.

Japan 1-0 Cameroon

The big talking points for me were 1) Samuel Eto'o being deployed on the right wing and 2) Alex Song not in the starting eleven (or even coming on as a sub). Eto'o couldn't get into the game often enough from right wing and lacked goalscoring opportunities from there. He still played well in that position, and I remember one instant when he eluded two defenders to make a good cross, but I hardly believe it is the best way to utilise the skills of their star man. I'm sure Le Guen has his reasons for not picking Alex Song but for me it was a shame as whenever I have seen him play he usually impresses me. It is telling that the closest Cameroon came to a goal was when right-back Mbia hit the crossbar.

Japan were nothing flash although they played a decent game. Their goal came out of nowhere and was a nice simple finish for Honda (after some shocking marking from Cameroon). Honda played well in midfield for Japan.

In truth it was a fairly pedestrian and weak game.

Group D opening games

Ghana 1-0 Serbia

This was an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable game between two quality sides. Both sides fashioned a number of chances but Ghana had distinctly more opportunities than Serbia. Both sides were guilty of being wasteful in front of goal. Had either taken one of their opportunities the whole complexion of the game would have changed. I was impressed by Jovanovic of Serbia and I was also impressed with a Ghanaian midfield which didn't noticeably appear to be missing Michael Essien. Jovanovic looked the most dangerous for Serbia.

The Serbian red card for two bookable offences was a fair call and Serbia looked to close the game out 0-0 after that, but still managed to have a few good chances. The breakthrough in this game finally came with about 5 minutes to go. Ghana were justifiably awarded a penalty - Kuzmanovic raised his arm high to the right and the ball clearly struck his hand. It was an inexplicable moment and Ghana sent the African continent into delirium with a very well taken penalty for a hard earned victory and 3 valuable points.

Germany 4-0 Australia

Germany completely and utterly outclassed Australia with what can only be described as a masterclass. Had the scoreline been 6 or 7 it would not have flattered the gulf between the two sides. Ozil and Mueller were brilliant in the attacking midfield and Podolski and Klose (to some extent) answered their critics. Klose and Podolski have not been in form in domestic football but Podolski continued his brilliant international scoring record for Germany. And Klose, whilst spurning a couple of fantastic chances, bravely scored with a header under the advance of Schwarzer. Practically the whole German team impressed: Khedira might not be spoken of in the same breath as Ozil and Mueller but he sure played like a man filling Ballack's shoes. Cacau and Gomes came on in the second half and both showed why the Germans have strength in depth. Schweinsteiger was strangely quiet but his services were almost rendered unnecessary by the slick verve and passing of the rest of the midfield/attack.

This is a very young German team - and they demonstrated a lack of fear and a large dose of excellence. They made many beautiful runs off the ball which the Aussies failed to pick up which never failed to cause panic in the Aussie box.

Australia on the other hand were woeful - one has to take into account that their poor game contributed to the Germans being able to show them up so much. I couldn't understand why Cahill had been picked as a lone striker when he is far better in the attacking midfield role - it reeked of desperation. The Aussies were run ragged and while 2-0 down even had Cahill sent off. I can understand why the ref gave the decision - he clattered into the German player from behind and took him out. However it was a wholehearted rather than a dirty challenge - there wasn't much strength in the trip and he appeared to be pulling out of the tackle at the moment of impact. It was, to my mind, a little harsh.

On another note I was very pleased to see the ref book two Germans for diving during the game. It's good to get that aspect clamped down on - especially with dives as blatant as those were.

Embrace the vuvuzela

The case against the vuvuzela: Vuvuzela are loud and for many people, obnoxious and annoying. They spoil the TV viewing pleasure in which it comes across as a constant swarm of buzzing bees - and the wonderful inventive chants of the football fan are not heard. At the game it must be annoying for some spectators to have the vuvuzela constantly blown in their ears - and there's little point of them trying to start chants as they will just get drowned out. Vuvuzela also make it difficult for communication on the pitch. Vuvuzela may cause hearing damage.

The case for the vuvuzela. This is African culture, it is the way South Africans support football - they should be embraced and not considered with disdain. It is something unique about this World Cup. Vuvuzela are blown in the street day and night, why should they be banned from the game? Some people say it creates good atmosphere.

Conclusion: I am not a fan of the vuvuzela. Although watching on TV I have learnt to block it out/not be annoyed by it I would much rather hear football singing. And I sympathise with all the anti vuvuzela sentiment. However I think banning them would be wrong - it would be denying a football culture from expressing itself in its own unique way. People need to suck it up, stop whinging and move on. Try embracing the vuvuzela - if you can't beat it join it! The most I could agree to is a noise level restriction on the individual vuvuzela.

Now all that remains is for you to practise blowing the vuvuzela here.

Group H preview

Chile

Strengths: Chile love to attack and do so very well. They attack in numbers and are not a team who sit back. They also put lots of pressure on the opposing players making their attack sometimes seem a form of defence. They have an excellent striker in Huazo who was top scorer in the South American qualifiers. Sanchez is a winger with a lot of promise and M Fernandez is the key in the midfield - he was Best South American Player in 2006.

Weaknesses: With so much attacking prowess it is almost inevitable that their weakest area is their defence - they can put themselves under pressure too readily and find it difficult dealing with the aerial demands, particularly as they are a team prominently short in stature. Suazo suffered an injury on May 30th in a game against Israel, he is struggling to be fit. Chile will need their talisman at World Cup 2010.

Formation: 3-1-3-3. An exciting and clever system.

Manager: Marcelo Bielsa - his second stint at international management, he also managed Argentina from 1998 - 2004. He has been with Chile since 2007. He is a real football personality, a real tactical innovator and has some crazy coaching methods!

Qualification: Chile finished second in the South American qualifying section - only one point behind Brazil and ahead of Paraguay on goal difference. It was a comfortable qualification.

World Cup pedigree: This is Chile's eighth world cup. They have only twice made it past the Group stages finishing 3rd place in 1962 (when it was held in Chile) and to the second round in 1998 - the year of yet another of my World Cup favourite players Marcelo Salas. 2010 will be their first World Cup since then.

Chance of progression from Group H: 65%, probably in second place.

Honduras

Strengths: Honduras play well, within their limitations. They have a strong defence, a powerful midfield and are good on the counter-attack. They conceded the least number of goals in qualifying. 37 year old Pavon is the highest scorer in Honduran history and he and David Suazo will be expected to be the ones to provide the goals. Wilson Palacios, who plays for Tottenham Hotspurs in the Premier League, is the most well known.

Weaknesses: Honduras lack experience of competitive international football which is a disadvantage. Wilson Palacios also recently suffered a problem with his shin that threatened his tournament but it now appears he should be fit for the first game. Honduras playmaker Julio De Leon has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury with just hours to go until the first match. During the whole qualification phase, goalkeeper Noel Valladares was criticised because of his constant mistakes. It would be interesting to know if the Honduran political situation affects the team psychologically.

Formation: Will either employ the defensive 4-5-1 or a 4-4-2

Manager: Reinaldo Rueda has been manager of Honduras since 2006 and was previously manager of Colombia from 2004-2006

Qualification: Honduras finished in the third and final automatic qualification spot in North/Central America, ahead of Costa Rica on goal difference!

World Cup pedigree: This will be Honduras' second World Cup, their first appearance was in 1982 when they famously drew against Spain in Spain. They also drew with Northern Ireland but lost to Yugoslavia. They didn't make it to the 2nd stage.

Chance of progression from Group H: 25%, should surely miss out.

Spain

Strengths: Spain are the favourites for World Cup 2010 and it is not hard to see why. They have lethal finishers like Torres and Villa up front and probably the best midfield in the tournament with the likes of Xavi, Busquets and Iniesta. It is so good that the brilliant Fabregas is not first choice (and it is also likely Torres will be on the bench). Casillas is a top quality goalkeeper and they even have a quality defence with Puyol, Pique etc. They also have a massive strength in depth.

Weaknesses: A number of their players have injury concerns, including Iniesta - but all are still likely to play. They may also be suffering from fatigue from a gruelling Spanish/English domestic season (20 of their squad play in Spain, 3 in England). Out of all four areas on the pitch defence is their weakest, but that of course is relative.

Formation: Probably a 4-2-3-1.

Manager: Vincent del Bosque is in his first stint in international management which start post Euro 2008 (which Spain won) - he has experience in domestic football with the likes of Real Madrid and Besiktas.

Qualification: Spain finished top of their qualifying group recording a perfect 10/10 wins.

World Cup pedigree: This is Spain's 13th World Cup and their 9th in a row. Shockingly their best ever result was fourth in 1950 and have been knocked out in the quarters four times (1934, 1986, 1994 and 2002)

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

Switzerland

Strengths: Switzerland are an excellent defensive side. They have an organised and disciplined game. Senderos will be influential at centre-back and Frei is the main man for goals - at international level he scores more often than one every two games. Barnetta is only 25 but he is the third most capped in the squad and is definitely a talented midfielder.

Weaknesses: They are a limited team - they have a few key players, an effective and cohesive will, but lack the spark, firepower and imagination to be sure of winning games. Frei is carrying an injury and should at least miss the first game. He is crucial to Swiss chances so this could play a large influence on their fortunes.

Formation: Almost certainly will be 4-4-2

Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld. He has managed Bayern Munich for a number of years previously but this is his first stint at international management. He is considered a great tactician.

Qualification: Switzerland finished top of their qualifying group, 1 point ahead of Greece.

World Cup pedigree: This is Switzerland's 9th World Cup - their best showing is the quarter-finals of 1934, 1938 and 1954. Since 1966 this is only the 3rd World Cup for which they have qualified.

Chance of progression from Group H: 55%, probably miss out.

Group G preview

Group G features 3 very strong teams one would expect to see in a second round. Only two of them will make it. And then you have North Korea.

Brazil

Strengths: Brazil, as usual, bring a quality squad to the World Cup. Kaka is one of the best midfielders in the world and is complemented by the likes of Elano. Fabiano is a prolific goalscorer with a goal roughly every 1.5 games for his national side. They also have the talented goalscorer Nilmar in the squad and can afford not to pick Neymar who is 18 and scoring for fun for his club side Santos in Brazil. They also have a player I consider the best goalkeeper in the world in Cesar. This time Brazil also have an excellent defensive as well. They specialise in set pieces and lightning fast counter-attacks.

Weaknesses: It is hard to see many weaknesses in a Brazil starting eleven. Perhaps they will miss Ronaldinho who was not selected. Leaving out Pato verged on the criminal. But despite these high profile omissions they still have a top squad. Brazil do not have however a player up front who is practically guaranteed to deliver the goods in a World Cup as Ronaldo always was. Despite the overall quality - if I was to pick a best eleven from players at the World Cup few Brazilian players would feature - indicating that in most positions there are possibly better players for other countries. Brazil may find it hard to break down teams that sit back and defend due to their style of play.

Formation: Brazil actually have quite a fluid formation and can change a lot within the game depending on factors such as who is in possession etc. They will likely have 4 at the back and a lone striker in Fabiano up front. The midfield 5 change around quite a lot (and thus so does the formation).

Manager: Dunga is an excellent manager. He used to play for Brazil as a defensive midfielder and won the World Cup in 1994. This is his first international assignment.

Qualification: Brazil won the South American section including their first every victory over Argentina in Argentina. It was a comfortable qualification although they only finished 1 point ahead of both Chile and Paraguay.

World Cup pedigree: Brazil have, without doubt, the best World Cup pedigree of any nation. They are the only country to play in every single World Cup. They have won it 5 times (more than any other country) - 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. They were second twice (1950 and 1998), third twice (1938 and 1978) and fourth once (1974).

Chance of progression from Group G: 85% - would have been higher if Portugal and Ivory Coast weren't also in the group.

Ivory Coast (C'ote D'ivoire)

Strengths: Ivory Coast have a team full of talent. Drogba is possibly the best striker in the world. Yaya Toure and Zakoro are two superb central midfielders. They also have the likes of Kalou, Dindane, Kone, Keita, Kolo Toure and Eboue in their squad. It is a very exciting team with a lot of firepower, flair and brilliance.

Weaknesses: Didier Drogba fractured his shoulder in a very recent friendly (about ten days ago) and there were worries that he wouldn't be fit for the tournament. Whilst it now seems likely he will feature it is not certain whether he will be ready for the crucial first game against Portugal. Even if he is there will be question marks as to whether his body can handle it. If anything their weakness comes at the back. There have also been reported bustups in the squad at this year's African Nations Cup. They will need to avoid any arguments to keep the required unity for this team to do well.

Formation: Should be a 4-3-3. Three physically imposing midfielders, a lone striker and two pacy wingers (and full-backs) meant the formation almost picks itself. Providing Sven avoids the temptation to go 4-4-2.

Manager: Sven Goran Erikkson has had many domestic and international managerial appointments throughout his career and has been very successful. For example he has league and cup doubles in Sweden, Portugal and Italy. He is most famous domestically for his stint at Lazio. He also managed England at Euro 2004 and World Cups 2002 and 2006. Sven's England were knocked out of World Cup 2002 by Brazil and Euro 2004 and  World Cup 2006 by Portugal so it is a quirk of fate that he should be drawn with these two countries again. He should add some structure to the flair of the Ivory Coast's game.

Qualification: Ivory Coast comfortably qualified from their group.

World Cup pedigree: Ivory Coast have only had one previous World Cup appearance in 2006. They didn't make it through the group stage after being drawn in the Group of Death with Holland, Argentina and Serbia and Montenegro. They will be hoping to go at least one better this time.

Chance of progression from Group G: 60%. Would really love them to qualify, will be a real dogfight with Portugal.

North Korea (Korea DPR)

Strengths: North Korea defend doggedly, harry in numbers and can be very hard to break down. They play to this strength and are very happy to stay back. They only conceded 7 in 16 games in qualifying. They also have a player called Jong Tae-Se who is nicknamed the Rooney of North Korea/Asia for his brilliant shooting ability. He has scored some stunning goals in his time.

Weaknesses: North Korea do not play width very well, they find goals hard to come by and have a lack of international experience in general. They find it difficult to cope with the aerial threat that teams can possess.

Formation: I have read that this will be a very defensive form of a 3-3-2-2

Manager: Kim Jong-Hun.

Qualification: North Korea finished second in their final Asia qualifying group thereby gaining automatic qualification. They finished ahead of Saudi Arabia on goal difference (and 4 points behind South Korea) so it was a very tense qualifying battle.

World Cup pedigree: North Korea have only qualified for one previous World Cup - 1966. They had a famous upset 1-0 win over Italy in the group stages. They also led Portugal 3-0 in the Quarter-finals but ended up losing 5-3.

Chance of progression from Group G: 0.5% - they should finish last.

Portugal

Strengths: Portugal have some incredibly exciting talent in their squad. Christiano Ronaldo is rated by some as the best player of his generation. He mesmerises defences with his dribbling skills and is a clinical finisher. But Portugal also have the superb Deco in midfield and the reliable and experienced trio of Ferreira, Carvalho and Costa available to play in defence. Nani and Simao are also very skilful wingers. They have a settled defence that doesn't concede many.

Weaknesses: In terms of out-and-out strikers Portugal are lacking. They instead rely on the wingers/midfield/supporting strikersto fire the goals. Liedson will quite possibly start in the lone striker role but he has never particularly impressed in terms of being able to trouble the goal. They also lack tempo in central midfield. Nani is also injured. Initial reports said he was out of the tournament but reports have just emerged saying he might be back miraculously quickly.

Formation: Should be a 4-3-2-1.

Manager: Carlos Queiroz - ex Manchester Utd assistant manager who has managed the Portugal team since 2008.

Qualification: Portugal only managed to finish 2nd in their qualifying group (behind Denmark) and only secured that in the very last game (enabling them to finish ahead of Sweden). They then needed to navigate a tricky playoff with Bosnia, which they achieved.

World Cup pedigree: This is Portugal's fifth World Cup only. They finished third in 1966 and fourth in 2006 but didn't get past the first round on their two other appearances in 1986 and 2002.

Chance of progression from Group G: 60%, in a dogfight with Ivory Coast, might just miss out.

Group F preview

Italy

Strengths: Italy are, as always, strong at the back with quality going forward. With famous highly skilled players like Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Gattusso, Pirlo, De Rossi and Gilardino Italy are always capable of winning football matches, regardless of who they play. Pirlo in particular has always been a wonderfully  creative player with an ability to make precise searching long field passes. He is their key playmaker. Italy are historically an excellent defending team - history provides us with Nesta and Maldini to prove this point. On paper it is still defence which is where their best capabilities lie. This probably stems from Seria A being a traditionally strong defensive league. Cannavaro is their leader from the back but their top defender is probably Chiellini, who at 25 should serve Italy well for many years to come. Buffon of course is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

Weaknesses: There are fairly valid criticisms that Italy are an aging squad with a number on decline rather than at the peak of their powers. They lack a world class striker up front. While Gilardino, Iaquinta and Di Natale are good players they do not quite have the qualities of the best strikers in the world. Gilardino has the best strike rate of their strikers. Pirlo, who is potentially key, is struggling with an injury which may rule him out of some of the early games of the tournament.

Formation: It appears Lippi is still pondering whether to employ a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1. He certainly tried both in their last friendly against the Guateng All Stars.

Manager: Marcelo Lippi has won many titles in his 25 year managerial career and has a fantastic reputation. To his name, domestically, he has five Serie A titles, four Italian Supercup, one Champions League, one UEFA Supercup and one Intercontinental Cup. He also won the World Cup in 2006 and was reappointed in 2008 after Donadoni led Italy to a poor Euro 2008 campaign.

Qualification: Italy won their European qualifying group with the minimum of fuss.

World Cup pedigree: Italy are the second most successful national side with 4 World Cup titles (1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006). They have competed in every tournament except two, finished second twice (1970 and 1994), third once (1990) and fourth once (1978)

Chance of progression from Group F: 80%, could manage first place.

New Zealand

Strengths: New Zealand's strengths lie in central defence and attack. Ryan Nelsen is the key player and plays at the highest level of them domestically, playing for Blackburn Rovers week in and week out. He is the inspirational captain. Fellow centre-backs Tommy Smith and Winston Reid are young and have barely played internationally but they are also very talented. Smith is at Ipswich Town and Reid plays in the Danish premier league. They are composed on the ball and look a real talent. Up front Fallon is strong in the air and physically dominant, Smeltz has scored a number of goals for clubs in the Australian A League and Killen is useful. The Kiwis are also a committed bunch with a close team spirit who can play better than the sum of their parts.

Weaknesses: New Zealand are weakest in midfield. Elliott and Brown are a reasonable centre-mid pairing but in general the midfield gives the ball away too easily and lacks creativity. Brown is also under an injury cloud after surgery on a fractured upper arm. Bertos can be an exciting winger but in the position he plays in the All Whites chosen formation he spends too much time defending to show off much attacking prowess. Defending down the flanks is a definite weakness for the All Whites. Also, the players I have outlined as their strengths are a relative strength - when comparing like with like with the vast majority of the teams at the World Cup they would be seen unfavourably.

Formation: Should be a 3-4-3/5-4-1. In other words NZ play 3 centre-backs, 2 wing-backs, 2 central midfielders and 3 strikers. As is the nature of a wing-back the wing-backs are fullbacks on defence and wingers on attack. In defence 2 of the strikers will usually drop back to midfield to help out.

Manager: Ricki Herbert - former NZ international who played at the 1982 World Cup. He combines his international management with domestic management for Wellington Phoenix who play in the Australian A League.

Qualification: NZ won Oceania comfortably before facing Bahrain in a playoff for SouthAfrica. The Kiwis held Bahrain to a 0-0 draw in Bahrain and then fashioned out a magnificent 1-0 home victory at Wellington's Westpac Trust Stadium. I went to that game and it was one of the nights of my life.

World Cup pedigree: NZ have only had one previous World Cup appearance, in 1982 in which they lost all 3 games, scoring twice and conceding 12.

Chance of progression from Group F: 20%, could easily finish last but I'm going to be positive and predict third place!


Paraguay

Strengths: Paraguay play an exciting brand of football - they can be lethal on the counter-attack. They are well equipped defensively having only conceded 16 goals from 18 qualifying games. Their key players will be the brave predatory Valdez up front and the creative hard working Riveros in midfield. And of course Roque Santa Cruz who with 69 caps, 21 goals and experience in the Premier League could be crucial to the cause.

Weaknesses: Paraguay will really miss Cabanas who was their top scorer in qualifying. An excellent goalscorer, he was shot in the head in January and whilst recovering nicely is not fit to take part in the World Cup. Paraguay tend not to enjoy possession play and so will be vulnerable to teams who pass well.

Formation: Probably a 4-4-2 although they may switch to a 4-3-3 if it suits.

Manager: Argentinian Gerardo Martino. He had about 8 years experience of coaching Paraguayan clubs domestically before being appointed international manager.

Qualification: Paraguay finished 3rd in South America - one point behind Brazil and on equal points (with an inferior goal difference) with Chile.

World Cup pedigree: This is Paraguay's eighth world cup. They have reached the second round on three occasions (1986, 1998 and 2002) but have never progressed further.

Chance of progression from Group F: 65%, probably in 2nd place but should give Italy a run for their money for top spot.

Slovakia

Strengths: Slovakia have a strong defence led by the imposing and very good player (particularly in the air), Martin Skrtel. Hamsik is a technically gifted midfielder who has earnt rave reviews at Napoli. Sestak is an exciting player in the forward line. Their biggest strength is defence although they scored a lot of goals in qualifying. All of their players play outside Slovakia for reasonable European sides.

Weaknesses: They only have a limited number of star quality players who, if they were injured, would leave a big hole in the side. Skrtel has just managed to battle back from injury to be fit. They also lack creative guile at times in the midfield although the likes of Stoch, Hamsik and Weiss will play with good skill and pace. Slovakia also lack a prolific goalscorer and will hope for goals throughout the team.

Formation: Probably 4-4-2.

Manager: Vladimir Weiss - on his first international assignment.

Qualification: Finished top of a group also containing Slovenia, Czech Republic and Poland.

World Cup pedigree: Slovakia was a part of Czechoslovakia from 1918 until 1992. The Czech national team qualified for eight World Cups finishing second on two occasions (1934 and 1962). The last World Cup that Czechoslovakia participated in was Italia '90. The team progressed to the quarter-finals and lost to eventual champions Germany 1-0. From the 17 national team players, eight were Slovakian. Slovakia turned into an independent Republic in 1993. This is their first World Cup participation as an independent nation.

Chance of progression from Group F: 50%, may miss out.

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 B opening games

South Korea 2-0 Greece

South Korea were dominant throughout the match and very worthy of their victory. Greece's reputation for being built on a solid defence was in tatters after the game as it was two very poor errors that handed South Korea both goals. Lee Jung-Soo was not picked up when the ball was crossed in for the first goal. For the second Vyntra inexplicably gave the ball away when receiving a routine pass from Seitaridis, Park Ji-Sung profited going off a nice run before finishing adroitly.

It could have all been so different had Torosidis not failed to convert a fantastic opportunity from six yards in the early minutes. But apart from that Greece had little in the way of goalscoring opportunities, save for 3 or 4 during a sustained 5 minutes of pressure midway through the second half. Top goalscorer in European qualifying Gekas was off his game but in fairness he just didn't get the service from a midfield lacking in imagination. In truth Greece were fairly abject throughout the field and will need massive improvement if they are to have any chance of doing anything other than make up the numbers in Group B.

But let this not take away from a quality performance from South Korea who kept possession well, defended well and played with an air of class. They played a very good game and easily deserved their 2 goal victory.

Argentina 1-0 Nigeria

In terms of quality football being played this has been the best of the first five games. Messi was top quality and was only foiled by some spectacular goalkeeping from Vincent Enyeama. Veron was off-colour with some of his passing and the Argentinian defence looked a bit suspect, a better strikeforce than Nigeria's would likely have made them pay. Their defence lacks pace with the likes of Samuel and Demichelis so it was an area that could have been exploited.

It was funny that with all Argentina's attacking quality the goal came from the head of defender Heinze. Argentina started with four highly attack minded players and ended up with five (when Maxi Rodriguez came on). This left Mascherano doing a helluva lot of work in defensive midfield. And with Gutierrez, normally a right winger, playing at right-back attack was concentrated down the right, leaving Di Maria fairly anonymous at times.

Nigeria played a 4-4-2 formation when a 4-3-3 would have been better. Particularly as Obasi likes to get forward. They performed better when the classic winger Odemwingie came on as he was able to exploit Gutierrez down that flank. The introduction of Martins also meant there was more pace available. Nigeria had a few reasonable chances but were unable to profit from them, continuing their general weakness of being goal shy. It was also exceptionally poor marking that enabled Heinze to ghost in completely unmarked for his goal.

There was this comment I enjoyed from another website which I happen to agree with: "Diego’s idea of throwing square pegs into circular holes simply because they’re carved of a higher quality wood will not work against good sides".

The England Eleven

OK so it's less than 2 hours until kickoff in England's first game which is against the USA. What team would I like to see England pick and what team do I think they will pick?

Let's start with the goalkeeper.

Reports a few days ago suggested that James had a minor knee problem and may miss the first game. Then there have been reports in recent hours that England players want James to play because of his experience and because he is so vocal. The goalkeeper debate is one that almost everyone seems to want to have their say - because the choice is not clear-cut.

James is 39, has had a nickname of  'Calamity James' due to some shockers he has had throughout his career. However he is very athletic and experienced and has the inside running. Green and Hart are both quality stoppers but lack the experience that James offers. I would pick Hart. From the games I have watched Hart is simply the best keeper of the three, he has the confidence and pulls off amazing saves quite regularly. I am not worried by his inexperience, he would play with no fear and he would I am sure play very well throughout the tournament. I believe James will get the nod though.

In defence I would pick Johnson, King, Terry and Cole. Cole is obvious as first choice left-back as is Terry for centre-back. Debate centres over Terry's partner. Most (and I am in this camp) think it has to be King. Johnson is a true right-back who attacks down the flank, his weakness is in his defending. I think almost everyone would pick him but Carragher remains an option. Perhaps against the best opposition choosing Carragher is not the silliest idea as he should provide greater stability at the back. I think Capello would agree with my choice of Johnson, King, Terry, Cole.

In midfield I would pick Lennon on the right as he offers so much quality. I would have Lampard and Barry in the middle as Barry is very good in the holding position. (Lampard picks himself). Barry may not quite be ready for the first game however. If Barry is not fit I would have Milner in the middle and Joe Cole on the left. If Barry is fit I would have Milner on the left. Up front I would have Rooney and Gerrard (in the slightly deeper attacking position). I think Milner has to be in the team because he offers so much but I think Capello will leave him on the bench. I think Gerrard should play the attacking role or the central midfield role but I do not think he should play on the left as he is wasted there and Milner/Cole are better options than him in that position  I would not mind Gerrard and Lampard in the middle with Rooney playing in a front two alongside any of Crouch, Defoe or Heskey, especially if Barry is not fit.

My ideal team, with all fit, is

                   Hart

Johnson, King, Terry, Cole

Lennon, Lampard, Barry, Milner

          Gerrard Rooney

I think Capello's is either the same (although swapping Milner for Cole) or having Gerrard on the left with Heskey to partner Rooney.

Whatever happens it's gonna be interesting.