The World Cup According To Sam Robinson

Going, Going, Gyan!

2010-07-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

Call it cheating. Call it crafty. Call it what you will but Luis Suarez's handball started a miraculous turn of events which have led to Uruguay making the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first time since 1970.

Suarez, so often the hero for club and country, found himself in the wrong goalmouth as Ghana pressed for a late winner. At first, he blocked a goal-bound shot with his knees but then decided to make matters into his own hands, literally, to stop a certain goal and a certain winner.

Asamoah Gyan, who had scored two penalties already in the competition, stepped up hoping to cement his place in Ghanaian history by scoring the goal to send the Black Stars into the semi-finals but it was not to be as his effort hit the crossbar and went over, to the dismay of those inside Soccer City and the continent of Africa.

It was, no doubt, a pressure penalty but considering Gyan had scored a late winner in extra time against America six days previous to this clash as well as scoring a penalty in the dying minutes against Serbia in the group stages, you would have fancied the frontman to bury it but the occasion, it seems, was too much to handle.

Suarez will now miss the semi-final against the Netherlands in Cape Town on Tuesday night but, on the face of things, it is a small sacrifice worth making as Uruguay are now guaranteed at least 4th place in the World Cup though the winners of the inaugural competition will be hoping for better than that, no doubt.

It was a decision that will leave Ghana feeling hard done by but rules are rules and Gyan still had the chance to end the game with the penalty but it was he who paid the ultimate price as the fall guy as opposed to those who missed in the shoot-out.

Uruguay will face a difficult test against the Netherlands, especially without Suarez, who was scoring for fun in the Dutch league last season, bagging an incredible 49 goals for Ajax. The Uruguayans will still have Diego Forlan, who is just as dangerous as Suarez. A statement proven by his superb equaliser for La Celeste as well as a brace against hosts South Africa.

Gyan showed incredible bravery to step up and take Ghana's first penalty of the shoot-out following his miss. To his credit it was a superb penalty, but in reality, it should never have come down to a shoot-out following Suarez's red card. It was clear how much Gyan was hurt by his miss as the tears flooded from the 24 year-old at the end of the shoot-out with no comfort from team-mates being enough to stop the waterworks.

Ghana can be proud of their efforts, being the best African side in the first African World Cup but will be left to reflect on what might have been whilst Uruguay progress into the semi-finals looking to make history once again.

Martin Palermo Sums Up Argentine Revival

2010-06-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

When Martin Palermo scored the crucial second goal against Greece in the final game of the group stages, he eclipsed a record set by his manager Diego Maradona and became the oldest Argentinian to ever score in a World Cup.

It is arguably the best moment in Palermo's international career that is infamously known for missing three penalties in a single game in the 1999 Copa America against Colombia. One penalty hit the bar, another was put over the bar and the third was saved by the goalkeeper.

It was those three penalty misses that undoubtedly led to a decade of international exile for the man who is the record goalscorer for one of Argentina's best known clubs - Boca Juniors.

The exile was ended when Maradona called up Palermo to his World Cup qualifying squad - a decision that paid off as Palermo scored a stoppage-time winner against Peru that led to Maradona's famous stomach slide celebration in the poring rain.

It was a sweet return to the international scene for the 36 year-old who has nine goals in fifteen games for his country and Maradona described the goal against Peru as "one more miracle of Saint Palermo."

After scoring against Greece, Palermo said "I was overcome with emotion. Everybody celebrated that goal as if every one of them had scored it too. I'm really pleased with all the affection they have for me.

"I will always be eternally grateful to Diego for this opportunity. I've seen a lot of World Cups pass by during my career. To be here and part of a squad with such magnificent players at the age of 36 is more than a dream come true."

Argentina were close to not making it to the World Cup but they made it and a 100% record so far suggests that a massive turn around has taken place and the South Americans must be taken as serious contenders to lift the World Cup trophy on July 11th.

As Argentina head into a mouth-watering Quarter Final clash with Germany on Saturday afternoon it would not suprise me if Maradona will be hoping for one more miracle from Saint Palermo.

Jaded Torres Must Be Dropped By Del Bosque

2010-06-29T15:37:00.000-07:00

As David Villa fired Spain into the Quarter Finals of the World Cup to move to within two goals of becoming Spain's joint all-time leading goalscorer alongside Raúl - a Spain legend in his own right, his supposed partner in crime suffered another poor performance.

Fernando Torres cut a dejected figure as he was substituted for the third time in three starts for Spain at the 2010 World Cup. It is clear that he has not yet fully recovered from an injury sustained for Liverpool earlier on in the year. For me, Torres looks off-colour and off-form.

The Torres we have seen in Spain red at this World Cup is a pale shadow of the Torres you see in Liverpool red. At the moment, Torres lacks match sharpness as proven by only having five shots on target without scoring whilst strike-partner Villa is on four goals.

A striker who is not scoring goals cannot be a happy striker and this shows in Torres' performances so far. If he were to get a goal, perhaps he would be rejuvenated and we would see the Torres of old but, until then, he will continue a poor run of form.

At the moment it seems like Spain manager Vicente Del Bosque is persisting with Torres in the vain hope the 26 year-old will suddenly spark into life but, as of yet, there are no signs to suggest this will happen any time soon.

It was interesting to note that Spain scored a mere five minutes after Torres was substituted. Coincidence? Perhaps. But the man who replaced Torres, Fernando Llorente, played an important part in the goal and was a menace after the goal. The Athletic Bilbao forward put himself about and held the ball up well, allowing players like Villa to make intelligent runs off the ball and create space in which Spain could play.

Although he had a good shot on target inside the first minute that was well saved by Portugal goalkeeper Eduardo, Torres didn't do much else, such is his poor form at the moment. The impact he had upon the game was minimal and as Spain progress into the latter stages of the tournament, they cannot afford any passengers, especially against the likes of Argentina, Brazil and Germany amongst others.

It would be beneficial for both Spain and Torres if he were to miss the Quarter Final clash with Paraguay on Friday night in favour of Pedro Rodriguez or Fernando Llorente - two players who are fit and on better form than Torres having scored almost 50 goals between themselves last season.

Spain are waiting patiently for Torres to start performing as, on his day, he is up there amongst the best in world football but, unfortunately for Spain at the moment, it does not look like his day is arriving in a month of Sundays.

Maradona's Men Go Marching On

2010-06-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

Argentina beat a defensive Greece side 2-0 to keep their 100% record at the 2010 World Cup intact thanks to goals from a pair of Martins - Demichelis and Palermo.

The pre-match permutations meant that Argentina could afford to lose to Greece as heavily as 3-0 because South Korea would have had to beat Nigeria by the same margin to stop them progressing. South Korea had to match Greece's result go through, as long as they didn't lose. If they were to lose, Greece would go through with a draw. However, if Nigeria beat South Korea and Greece lost, the Africans go through to the last sixteen.

The pitch was magnificent pre-kick off, resembling something like a carpet which suited Argentina's passing game as they dictated the proceedings of the game early on as Greece were reluctant to attack and understandably so. Argentina didn't get the early goal they desired which would have been frustrating for the Argentinians, who were having great success out wide as the Greeks were defending too centrally.

Maradona's son-in-law Sergio Aguero eventually came to life with a slaloming run and a change of pace which led to the first shot on target of the match. This was followed by a superb long-range effort from ex-Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron which was tipped over the bar from Greek goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas.

The Greeks eventually came out of their shell, probing the Argentine defence to no avail despite constant long-balls forward to Georgios Samaras looking potentially penetrative.

Konstantinos Katsouranis was the first player to be booked for a cynical foul on Aguero as the 22 year-old looked to get in behind the Greek defence. Aguero had another chance soon after but it was blocked by Loukas Vyntra after Tzorvas' error from Diego Milito's cross

After more than half an hour of constant Argentine pressure, you could sense that a goal was coming sooner rather than later. However, it did not come as Argentina couldn't get through the Greece backline centrally so they resorted to going down the wings and getting a lot of crosses in which the Greeks easily dealt with due to their superior height advantage over their opponents.

Set pieces looked to be Greece's best chance of goal but Argentine goalkeeper Romero came out and punched away well when under pressure and amidst a crowd of bodies.

In first half injury time Maxi Rodriguez brought a good save from Tzorvas after good build-up play in midfield from Lionel Messi, Veron, Aguero and Milito. Messi went close soon after with a curling effort from the edge of box, which was tipped over for corner. That was the last action of the half as both sides went into the break goalless. Greece looked comfortable in defence but Argentina were fancied to score in the second half.

Messi was being man-marked throughout the game to good effect but it was Greece who threatened first after the break with Samaras shooting wide when in a good position early on after beating Demichelis for pace.

Greece's plan was effective, similarly to that of Switzerland's game plan against both Spain and Chile, but they were showing little ambition to get forward and attack as Argentina continued to press. Clemente Rodriguez crossed in but Diego Milito was centimetres away from connecting with the header.

Argentina finally got their breakthrough through an unlikely source in centre half Martin Demichelis, who's header inadvertently hit Milito but was quick to get onto the rebound which he smashed into roof of net.

With the lead secured, Maradona took Milito off and replaced him with veteran Martin Palermo who scored with a quality finish after Messi hit the post following a sublime run. The goal doubled Argentina's lead and killed the game off.

As the game petered out the Argentine fans could be heard above the vuvuzelas as Greece were knocked out of the competition Argentina marched onto the last sixteen where they will play Mexico.

Oscar Ruiz: Analysis Of Performance

2010-06-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

Oscar Ruiz is a 40 year-old Colombian referee who has been a referee at three World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010). Aside from being a top-class referee, Ruiz is also a lawyer.

He refereed today's game between France and South Africa, the game I have chosen to assess Ruiz in.

In general, Ruiz keeps his distance from the play but ensures that he is in a position where he can see play and make creditable decisions. His foul recognition is good, he is strong with the whistle and commands respect from the players.

On free-kicks and corners, he keeps a very close eye on pushes & shoves. At first he issues no warning to any pair of players committing the offence because he does not think that there is any need to give out a warning. This is good man-management and shows he is not as pedantic as perhaps some other referees would be.

Ruiz's general fitness is good, and he keeps up with play well which, again, allows him to make creditable decisions. As with any good referee, Ruiz plays the advantage where possible and waits to see if an advantage can be played before giving any fouls which are only given when is necessary.

For the first South African goal, Ruiz did well not to give foul for climbing by Khumalo on Diaby. It was a simple jump from the big defender and Diaby was nowhere near getting to the ball. A good decision from the 40 year-old.

The sending off of France midfielder Yoann Gourcuff could be classed as harsh but Ruiz clearly saw Gourcuff go in for a header with an elbow and deemed it as intentional. There was confusion as to who he had sent off at first but, upon seeing a replay, it was clear that Gourcuff was the man sent from the field of play.

Let us remember he only gets one view of the incident at normal speed as opposed to the 100+ angles that TV cameras can get at different speeds. Following on from the red cards issued to Valon Behrami of Switzerland and Kaka of Brazil for similar offences, it is consistent refereeing from the Colombian, who will have been told by FIFA to clamp down on challenges where the player leads with an elbow.

After giving a foul, Ruiz is quick to the scene which ensures that there are no handbags afterwards between the culprit and the player fouled. This also reduces the chance of a mass brawl which shows that Ruiz has good control of the game

Ruiz's positioning on corners is good; he stands in a position where he is looking into the crowd of bodies so that he can see any fouls or other infringements. This gives his decisions credibility when awarding penalty kicks.

A South African penalty appeal waved away correctly by Ruiz - the attacker was most certainly looking for it and went down easily.

Aside from the red card, Ruiz only gave out one other card. A yellow was issued to Abou Diaby for a trip near the penalty area. Another correct decision from the Colombian official.

Unlike other referees, Ruiz doesn't tend to make himself the centre of attention. He allows the play to flow so that the focus is on the players and the football as opposed to himself.

All in all, it was a relatively quiet 2nd half compared to first for Ruiz but he kept control of the game through to the final whistle and I expect to see him officiating in the knockout stages of the competition.

French Farce Not Doing Any Favours

2010-06-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

Just when France thought that things couldn't get much worse, they did.

The refusal of the squad to train today in support of Nicolas Anelka is another chapter in the book of France manager Raymond Domenech entitled "How To Unsuccessfully Manage Your Country".

Anelka, the main man in this, was sent home from South Africa for apparently personally insulting Domenech in the changing rooms at half time during France's 2-0 defeat to Mexico which left them on the brink of elimination from the World Cup at the first hurdle - reminiscent of the 2002 campaign in Japan & Korea when they didn't win a game.

It was reported in the media that Anelka said to Domenech "Go fuck yourself, you son of a whore" - an unacceptable verbal tirade. It supposedly came about after Domenech criticised Anelka's first half performance of the Mexico game which is something that, as the manager, he is very much entitled to do.

As Group A stands currently, a win for France in their last game against South Africa on Tuesday might not even be enough to see them into the last sixteen if Mexico and Uruguay draw their fixture.

The players have no faith in Domenech and rightly so. During the Mexico game, he was like a rabbit in the headlights as he stood and watched his team pathetically surrender against the Mexicans without trying to influence the game in the form of substitutions. It was clear for all to see that the players have no respect for Domenech and there is a distinct lack of harmony in the France squad.

To send Anelka, a potential match-winner, home is, in my opinion, a poor decision. Surely, as adults, both men can come to a compromise for the good of the national team? But, then again, these are professional sportsmen we are talking about.

Morale will be low in the French camp following yet another civil war, this time it was even captured on camera by French TV. This will not have helped matters and I would argue that it would be best for the French, who were lucky to even make it to the World Cup following the Thierry Henry handball incident, to be knocked out on Tuesday afternoon as it would allow them to get rid of Domenech sooner and start life under Laurent Blanc, who will not be the envy of many managers around the world when he steps into the French hotseat.

Rampant Germans Make A Statement By Annihilating Aussies

2010-06-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

It was very much a case of Deutschland uber alles in Durban as Germany crushed Australia 4-0 to go to the summit of Group D and show their rivals that they very much mean business over in South Africa this Summer.

Germany ruthlessly exposed the massive gulf in class between both sides with a comfortable victory but Australia will feel hard done by after Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez gave Everton's Tim Cahill a straight red card when a yellow card seemed like the more obvious option.

I can only assume that Rodriguez thought Cahill had gone in two-footed on German play-maker Bastian Schweinsteiger and that was why the midfielder was dismissed. Upon seeing a replay, it was clear to everyone that Cahill had not gone maliciously into the challenge, although it was late. At best, it was a challenge worthy of a yellow card. The decision, ultimately, made little difference as Germany were well in control before the aforementioned offence.

It is interesting to note that three of Germany's four goalscorers were not actually from Germany; Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski both come from Poland whilst Cacau is Brazilian-born. Thomas Muller was the only German-born player to score on the night for Germany. England fans, however, have no right to complain given the various nationalities in their national cricket team that recently won the World Twenty/20 tournament.

It was Lukas Podolski who emphatically opened the scoring with an 82mph strike that was too hot for Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer to handle. Miroslav Klose soon got in on the act after missing an easy chance minutes earlier when he rose highest to beat Schwarzer to the ball and double the German advantage and net his 11th World Cup goal.

The red card effectively ended the match as a contest before Germany made it a rout with goals from Thomas Muller got his first international goal following some impressive footwork in the Australian penalty area. Substitute Cacau finished the rout with a tap-in, also his first international goal, as the Germans cruised to victory.

German skipper Phillip Lahm was instrumental for his side, providing the assist for Klose's goal as the 32 year-old moved to within 4 goals of the record amount of goals scored at a World Cup, a record held by Ronaldo. Lahm is arguably the best full-back in world football, providing defensive solidity as well as a major threat when going forward on either wing.

Despite a brilliant performance from Lahm, it was youngster Mesut Ozil who stole the show for Germany, providing numerous opportunities for colleagues with his creativity and flair being enough to win him a lot of admirers as well as the man of the match award. The World Cup is so often a platform for young players like Ozil to make a mark and, judging by his performance earlier, the 21 year-old is keen to shine on the big stage.

Obviously it is too early to call this World Cup but it cannot be denied that Germany are the most impressive side we've seen so far in the tournament. When they last won the World Cup in Italy back in 1990, they won their first game convincingly against what was, at the time, Yugoslavia by 4 goals to 1. If history were to repeat itself, we cannot say we haven't been warned.

It's Not Easy Being Green

2010-06-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

Poor old Rob Green. One minute he's thinking to himself what a comfortable first half of World Cup football he's had and the next he's picking the ball out of his net following an absolute howler on his World Cup debut.

Undoubtedly, the media shall swoop upon that mistake like the vultures the can be to make Green the scapegoat but, for me, he cannot take all of the blame for England dropping two points. There were numerous others who failed to turn up and deliver like Frank Lampard, who was uncharacteristically quiet in midfield and James Milner, who looked under the weather following an illness in midweek before being substituted after half an hour.

It could be argued that it's good that all high-profile mistakes are done now when England have two matches left to win to qualify from Group C as opposed to in a semi-final or final but, obviously, it would be better to have a faultless World Cup. Unfortunately, it is the end of a bad week for Fabio Capello who lost his captain, had a run-in with the media and has now had numerous team selections backfire (Ledley King, James Milner and, of course, Green).

Some fans are calling for Green to be dropped next game and you can see their point, however, it is a typical tendency of the England fans to over-react to something like this. The media will make things bad enough for Green without fans of his own team putting more pressure onto him.

Although he made amends with a routine save that was inevitably hyped up by everyone, Green was lucky that didn't go in either as it wasn't the strongest of hands he got to the ball. Whilst the mistake is inexcusable, it should not mean that he misses out against Algeria. Granted, it was a shocking error, but it will not do the defence an favours if the goalkeeper is being changed each game. Capello has chosen Green as his number one and, for that reason, he should stick with him and give him all of the support he needs along with Goalkeeping Coach Ray Clemence.

There are, as mentioned previously, two games left for England - both of which they should win - to qualify from the group stages comfortably so all is not lost. Green's confidence will take some rebuilding and slating him isn't exactly going to help now, is it?

Dutch Defence To Be Their Downfall

2010-06-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

Whilst the topics of who should partner Wayne Rooney up front for England, will France and Portugal make it out of their groups and will Argentina do well under the guidance of Diego Maradona are probably the most talked about heading into the World Cup there is a nation that is happy to not be in the spotlight - Holland.

The oranje have never been world champions though they were the runners-up in consecutive World Cups - 1974 and 1978 - and do have a European Championship victory to their name from 1988.

Quite frankly, Holland should progress from the group stages in South Africa with relative ease after being drawn with Cameroon, Denmark and Japan; three nations who rank significantly lower in the FIFA rankings than Holland.

Denmark are well-organised but lack a potent threat going forward (who wouldn't when Nicklas Bendtner is your main striker), Japan have been consistenly poor in the build-up to the tournament and Cameroon, apart from Samuel Eto'o, have no real goalscoring threat.

Holland have an enviable array of attacking options; Arjen Robben, Rafael Van Der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder are all players who can pick the metaphorical lock of most world defences whilst Nigel De Jong and Mark Van Bommel bring both experience and balance to their midfield.

Up front the lethal Robin Van Persie, who, in my opinion, is one of the best left-footed players in world football, can be partnered with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar once one of the most craved strikers in Europe, the versatile Dirk Kuyt or the occasionally lethargic but otherwise explosive Ryan Babel. A strikeforce not to be under-estimated.

It is all well and good have superb options going forward but if the defence is leaking goals then more pressure will be on the strikers to come up with the goods and, ultimately, it is the defence of the Dutch that will lead to World Cup failure.

The loss of the player to have won the most caps for his country, Edwin Van Der Sar, was a huge blow but he was almost the wrong side of 40. Maarten Stekelenburg is set to be the number one after playing an important role for Ajax in the Eredivisie but his under-studies have 5 caps between the both of them and do not have big-match experience.

Across the back four, manager Bert van Marwijk can call upon the experienced Giovanni Van Bronckhorst - who has won 99 caps - to be the calming influence. Given his age, 35, I suspect that he would struggle against a winger with pace such as Aaron Lennon of England, Lionel Messi of Argentina or Franck Ribery of France.

In the heart of the defence, André Ooijer is not getting any quicker and, like Van Bronckhorst, will be susceptible to pace. Chelsea reject Khalid Boulahrouz is not the most solid of defenders despite Jaap Stam suggesting he could be the man to replace him as his natural successor.

Johnny Heitinga has impressed for Everton at centre half but has been preferred at right-back for the national side, but with the emergence of Gregory Van Der Wiel, he could end up marshalling the back four for the Oranje.

Holland, it is fair to say, have no "world-class" defenders amongst their ranks in comparison to other countries. England have Ashley Cole, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand; Brazil have Lucio, Maicon and Dani Alves; Spain have Sergio Ramos, Gerard Piqué and Carlos Puyol; the list goes on. A good side needs a solid foundation at the back and, for me, Holland are lacking.

The lack of a world-class defender, or even defenders, will be the downfall of the Dutch this Summer as the likes of Boulahrouz and Van Bronckhorst struggle against world-class strikers like Fernando Torres, Luis Fabiano and Gonzalo Higuáin in the latter stages of the World Cup.

I am sure that, with a few good additions to their squad in four years time when emerging talents like Van Der Wiel have had time to mature and improve their game as well as having the likes of Van Bronckhorst retire to allow bright prospects to come through, the Dutch will be in better stead to mount a serious challenge for the World Cup but 2010, unfortunately, has come too soon.

Preview

2010-06-06T14:58:00.001-07:00

The World Cup - the greatest tournament in the footballing world and probably the second best in sport after the Olympics. For any player, the pinnacle of your career would be to represent your country at the World Cup and for over 700 players going to South Africa; they have made it to the grandest stage of them all.

Whilst, in the opinion of many, teams like North Korea, Honduras and New Zealand are there to merely make up the numbers – though that isn’t necessarily true given the history that will be created by each side regardless of how they do – there are a lot of sides there who have ambitions to be crowned World Champions come July 11th 2010.

The favourites with many bookmakers are Spain, who, previous to Euro 2008, were known as the perennial underachievers after numerous failings at the World Cup. This time around they’re in a strong position to mount a serious challenge for the Jules Rimet trophy.

Their goalkeepers, Iker Casillas, Jose Reina and Victor Valdes, are all world-class and I’d suggest there is no stronger goalkeeping trio in international football.

The defence is strong, particularly in the middle where Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique will hope to carry their club form together onto the international stage, though a few injuries could see Spain’s weakness exposed at full-backs.

The midfield, arguably the best in the world, contains superstars like Xavi, Iniesta and David Silva, who can all pick a pass to unlock the tightest of defences and provide chances to the strikers; David Villa, Fernando Torres, Fernando Llorente and Pedro Rodriguez, who scored 96 goals between them last season.

It’s difficult to look past Spain to go the whole way in the tournament and they’re my tip to win the tournament at 4/1.

Brazil follow close behind Spain with an array of attacking options but a more conservative style of play. Coach Dunga is not the most popular man due to the style in which he has the team playing but he has experience of winning the World Cup as a player having captained Brazil to victory in the USA back in 1994.

Julio Cesar is a top goalkeeper with the in-form Gomes a reliable deputy.

Across the back, they are spoilt for choice with the full-backs given that they can call upon Maicon, Dani Alves and Michel Bastos – all three are class acts. Lucio has had a fantastic season for Inter Milan in the heart of the defence and formed a formidable partnership with Luisao in the Confederations Cup last summer.

Kaka is one of many players who provides flair in midfield though he, along with the likes of Felipe Melo, have had poor club seasons but definitely have the potential to step up to the plate and deliver.

Luis Fabiano is proven at international level and has a scoring record that betters a goal every one and a half games. Partnered by Grafite, Robinho or Nilmar, Brazil will be a force to be reckoned with in this tournament and I think they’ll make it to the final.

Argentina are next to be looked at with Diego Maradona promising to run naked through Buenos Aires if Argentina win the World Cup I bet a lot of neutrals are hoping they don’t!

Their attacking options are superb with Diego Milito, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain all coming into the World Cup off the back of great seasons for their clubs. Maradona has a tough choice deciding who will play, for sure.

Lionel Messi and the highly-rated Angel Di Maria are likely to be on either wing – a duo that will frighten the life out of even the best of full-backs. In the centre of midfield, Esteban Cambiasso is the biggest absentee but Javier Mascherano will be confident he can fill the void.

Walter Samuel has enjoyed success at club level with Inter Milan last season and will be determined to add a World Cup winner’s medal to his collection. There are doubts over the Argentine goalkeepers, who have only 13 caps between the three of them but, despite this, I still fancy the Argentinians to go far in the tournament and I predict they’ll get 3rd place.

England will be looking to end 44 years of hurt in South Africa but were dealt a huge blow earlier in the week when captain Rio Ferdinand was ruled out with a knee ligament injury but hopes will remain high although the majority rest upon the shoulders of Wayne Rooney, who is key to England’s chances. As of yet, Fabio Capello has not found the perfect foil for Rooney, though Emile Heskey is the preferred option, Peter Crouch can offer something different.

Question marks still remain over whether Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard can play in the same midfield as well as who should start on the wings with Aaron Lennon inexperienced on the big stage.

The loss of Ferdinand was huge for England although his replacement, Michael Dawson, has performed terrifically for Tottenham, as has Ledley King though his ability to remain fit has been questioned.

The goalkeeping situation is not clear for England either. Joe Hart is inexperienced whereas David James is the wrong side of 40 and has 50 caps to his name, five times more than Robert Green, who has been the preferred goalkeeper in recent weeks.

Should England play to their potential, I see no reason why they can’t get far. My prediction is 4th place after losing to Brazil in the semi-final and then Argentina in the 3rd place play-off.

Those four teams, in my opinion, are the main contenders. The likes of Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands and Portugal will all hope to go far but I can’t see it happening. Germany are suffering with a lot of injuries, Italy don’t have enough quality, the Netherlands don’t have a good enough defence whilst France and Portugal have been in disarray for a long time and I can’t see that changing before the World Cup starts.

The group stages will be an interesting watch, particularly in the groups that are harder to call.

Here’s who I think will progress from each group:
Group A: Mexico and South Africa
Group B: Argentina and Greece
Group C: England and USA
Group D: Serbia and Germany
Group E: Netherlands and Denmark
Group F: Italy and Paraguay
Group G: Brazil and Ivory Coast
Group H: Spain and Chile

The race for the Golden Boot will be fascinating with so many world-class players vying to get the most goals. The likes of David Villa, Fernando Torres, Luis Fabiano, Wayne Rooney and Lionel Messi should all be up there challenging. An outsider is Humberto Suazo of Chile, who could score a fair few goals in the group stages. If I were pressed for an answer, I’d go for David Villa.

The countdown is on to the World Cup with just 5 days left before it kicks off when South Africa take on Mexico at Soccer City, Johannesburg. Here’s hoping it’s the best World Cup yet.