Game 29: Brazil vs Ivory Coast

Brazil beat Ivory Coast 3-1. Goals by Fabiano (2), Elano (1), and Drogba (1).

Summary over.

Opinion time:

Ivory Coast, for shame!

What was shaping up to be wonderful game, in which Ivory Coast could make an attempt to lessen the goal differential after a dominating performance by Brazil turned into an ugly slug fest.

Tiote, what was the point of basically ripping of Elano's leg? Instead of playing the ball when Elano came in for a tackle, you went straight studs up into his shin, forcing the curly haired winger to be literally carried down the tunnel to get medical treatment. To top if off, you had quite a few fouls like that, be happy you only got away with one yellow.

Keita, you must have attended acting school. You practically run into Kaka, who puts his forearm up to protect himself (touching Keita's chest), and you crumple over like you just got punched in the face by an in-prime Mike Tyson. What wast he point? There was four minutes left in the game (including stoppage time) and you try to get the player kicked out, it's not like your team was coming back anyway.

Jokes on you Keita, Kaka misses the next game, a game in which Brazil has already qualified for the next round, so they probably wouldn't start Kaka anyway.  Now you just look like an idiot to the world.

But there was also some diving from the Brazilians, including Bastos and Lucio, who rolled around on the floor like a priest needed to come out to read the last rights. Note, I hate diving, I do not condone it, but they dove for a free kick. Ivory Coast, you guys dove because you could, because you wanted Brazilian players to be kicked off. You had lost already, try losing with some dignity.

The surprising thing is, Drogba, who is known for his diving, didn't do it. In fact, he acted as a mediator, shielding Kaka from his fellow Ivorian players. Props to you Drogba, I respect you more.

Let me be clear, I never cheer for Brazil to win the world cup, it's like cheering for the Yankees: It's unoriginal. I like the under-dogs, I was cheering for Ivory Coast, but after this display, I hope the Ivorian players are fined and lose the rest of their matches.

I fear this game will cease to exist in the future, to be replaced by a stage and some spot-lights, where players act out a match. I fear this diving, this acting, will be a blight on the game for years to come.

It sickens me.

Come on Portugal or North Korea (ick, did I just say that?), grab that second qualifying spot.

Game 14: Brazil vs North Korea

Today Brazil, the world number one, faced off against virtual un-knowns North Korea, who are currently ranked number 105, according to FIFA.  Brazil would have many chances, but against the stalwart defense of Korea, they would find themselves struggling to score goals.

The scoring opened up in the 55th minute when Maicon of Brazil would fool the goalkeeper, Ri Myong-Guk, by pretending to send in a cross, only for the ball to sneak in the near post. Later, in the 72nd minute Brazil would once again capitalize, on a rare North Korean defensive mistake, after Robinho neatly threaded the ball onto an onrushing Elano, who would calmly net Brazil's second of the evening.

However, North Korea, not to go away completely empty-handed, would shock the samba footballers by netting their own goal in the 89th minute, after Ji Yun-Nam was able to navigate his way through the mass of yellow jersey's to score a very pretty strike. The final score would end 2-1, with the Brazilian's narrowly coming away with a victory.

It was clear from the beginning that North Korea were going to focus on defense, allowing Brazil to control seventy-three percent of the possession, and weathering twenty-six shots, the vast majority of which would be blocked or sail harmlessly wide. North Korea did show moments of brilliance on the attack, when the opportunity presented itself, in the form of Jong Tae-Se, who would routinely get around the big Brazilian defender Lucio. Not to be outdone, Robinho of Brazil would be a true workhorse, not only getting an assist on the night, but creating many other chances in between his narrow misses on goal.

Although North Korea began with a 3-4-3 lineup card (insert: as displayed on my TV, and commented on by the announcers), they played it more as a 6-3-1 throughout most of the match, something they are well known for. This daunting defensive wall would cause many headaches for the Brazilians, but ultimately they would come away with the win.

Brazil will really have a lot to work on if they hope to win this tournament. The tough defensive play of North Korea could certainly be a reason for the slow start, but when one takes into account that Brazil had twenty-six shots, but only two goals, shows how much Brazil needs to work on their finishing. There are several reason for this. First, Brazil played almost exclusively down the middle, which clearly does not work when the opposition clogs it with defenders, instead they should have focused on the sides of the pitch, where they would have the opportunity to take defenders on one-on-one. Secondly, Kaka and Luis Fabiano were no where to be found this match. With the two players only combining for three shots throughout the game. To fix this Brazil will need to focus on feeding the ball to these players more, instead of their defenders and wingers taking ninety percent of all the shots.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised by North Korea, besides there one thousand hired Chinese Nationals (who were payed to act as North Korean fans), they did have a couple players that impressed me. Notably Jong Tae-Se who plays his club ball in Japan. He had some amazing moves, and really troubled the Brazilian defense. I still have no belief that North Korea will move on, and let's face it, six defenders is extremely boring to watch, but if they want to score goals then Tae-Se is their man.

Group H: Chile

Chile are entering the World Cup coming off of a phenomenal qualification campaign in which they saw themselves place second in South America, right behind Brazil. Led by coach Marcelo Bielsa, who is a genius when it comes to tactical decisions, Chile is looking to  reach the second round for only the third time out of eight appearances in the World Cup.

Their weakness, unsurprisingly, is defense. They gave up twenty-two goals during qualification compared to Brazil's eleven, but that won't trouble many fans because Chile have the ability to really entertain. Previously beating Argentina one to zero, La Roja will be keen to try for another upset, this time over the world favorites Spain.

Key Players: Claudio Bravo, the goalkeeper, is dynamite between the posts, showing his quick footwork and reactions during Chile's games. Although not quite as good as the world's best goalkeepers, he did earn the honor of being voted South America's top keeper, beating out Julio Ceasar of Brazil. Since Chile lacks a lot of defensive power, it will be up to Bravo to come up with the big saves, and keep his nation's hopes alive.

My Prediction: Second Round.

Group H: Spain

To say that Spain are the best team in the world may be underestimating them, to say they may be one of the best teams in history is more accurate. In their past forty-seven games, Spain has only lost once... That's it! It came at the hands of the United States during the Confederations Cup last year, ending a thirty-five game unbeaten streak, and fifteen wins in a row, which tied Brazil's record that they set back in 1994.

This team has everything, from one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Iker Casillas, to their midfielders which run so deep that every single one of them would be a first team starter in any top club throughout the world, up to the strike partnership of Fernando Torres and David Villa [pictured]. 

They easily outscore most teams, they concede fewer goals then most teams, they maintain possession longer, and they entertain their fans to degrees unheard of (although I'm sure Brazil and Netherlands would contest that). After winning the Euro Cup in 2008, Spain found themselves ranked number one in the world for the first time in their history. Although they have since slipped down to number two, the team will be eager to once again go up a spot, proving to the world just how good they are.

Does the team have weaknesses? No. Well, in all honesty they 'could' be a bit better on defense, due to their back-line all thinking they are born again attackers, but I don't mind. I love seeing Puyol and Sergio Ramos score goals because it looks natural for them, which is truly saying something since most defenders don't go near the oppositions box except on set pieces. But besides that, la Furia Roja easily get top marks across the field, having virtually no competition at the present moment.

My Prediction: Champions!

Group G: Ivory Coast

Just days before the World Cup, Ivory Coast was dealt a serious blow. Their main man, the flare that would give The Elephants a chance, their leading scorer, yes, you all know who I'm talking about, Didier Drogba [pictured] shattered his elbow.  There are reports he may be able to play, but so far the Ivory Coast team has been very quiet, and the citizens of the nation are not sure when he will be ready.

Dubbed the "African Brazil", Ivory Coast was one of Africa's few teams that had a realistic shot at hoisting the trophy, but with the loss of Drogba the team will find themselves struggling in the group stage.  In his place, it will be up to Salomon Kalou of Chelsea to score the goals.  Young and speedy, he has the ability to go toe to toe with the best defenders in the world, but it will be interesting to see how he does without his usual strike partner, or he might even take up the lone striker role.

In the past Ivory Coast has been very shaky on defense. There are a few big names, such as Eboue and Kolo Toure, but they have not worked too well together, allowing many easy goals to slip past them. As a result, Brazil (a notorious goal scoring machine) will probably have their way with the Elephants, while Portugal is likely to sneak in a quick surprise goal. Ivory Coast will need to be on their best form in order to get into the knockout rounds.

My Prediction: Group G 3rd Place.

Group G: Portugal

For being one of the top teams in the world, Portugal has really struggled lately.  Throughout qualifying they never looked like their normal dynamic selves, as they ended up placing second to Denmark. In order to even make the tournament, Portugal had to go into a playoff match, luckily for them, it was against a weaker Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Maybe it was just circumstance, surely Portugal were better than that? However, they continued to show poor form in the warm-up matches, and with the World Cup starting tomorrow, Portugal fans have a sense of nervous anticipation, which was only increased with the loss of Nani, the brilliant midfielder of Manchester United has been ruled out of the tournament through injury.

Portugal have at their disposal some incredible talent, but Christiano Ronaldo [pictured] is the centerpiece. After having an excellent season with Real Madrid, the winger/forward/offense midfielder will be looking to carry his form over to the World Cup. Extremely fast, and capable of some of the finest technical skill in the world, he can single handily win games for his team. This will be very important for Portugal because during qualification they had a hard time scoring goals when Ronaldo didn't play.  If he manages to keep his top level of play, and the defense can hold steady, then Portugal would not only have a shot of making it out of the Group of Death, but challenge for the title as well.

My Prediction: Second Round

Group G: North Korea

Ok, so Kim Jung-Il [pictured] may not be a part of the North Korean team, but he may as well be, as he is the one that dictates everything they do off of the pitch. This will be North Korea's second time ever appearing in a World Cup finals, the previous time being 1966 when they caught everyone by surprise when they reached the quarter-finals. Unfortunately for them, I don't think they will make it out of the group stage, for the simple fact that they were unlucky enough to be drawn into the Group of Death.

Truthfully, it is hard to write an entry for North Korea, as they have been very secretive, but what we do know is that the team plays very defensively, to the point of obscenity. The regular formation is a 4-3-3 (which often ends up being 5-3-2 by the end of the game), but they play as if they put eleven men behind the ball. Just look at their scores from the qualification games to see this. Besides only losing one game to Iran two to zero, every other game was either won by one goal, or more often then not a zero to zero draw.  Traditionally, their defense has payed off for them, but going up against the countries of Brazil, Portugal, and Ivory Coast, there is no way they will be able to play for a draw against all of them, the teams just have too much attacking potential.

Even more bizarre was North Korea's attempt to pull a fast one on FIFA by placing a striker in the third goalkeeping spot. FIFA was not amused and promptly stated to the team that if they include that player in the keeper spot, then he will only be able to play between the posts. Unless of course they really want to shock the world by putting the player on the field with a keeper kit on, only to run forward and play offense while leaving the net empty. That could be entertaining...

Key Players: Who knows... Jong Tae-Se who plays in Japan (Yup, that's right, apparently allowing players to go over seas is occasionally granted) is their only real known player. He gained this reputation by being a menace in front of goal for defenders, scoring frequently and without warning. He will be the way North Korea score, by sending a long ball for him to run onto in a sudden counter-attack. The rest of the players are situated in North Korea's domestic league.

My Prediction: Group G 4th Place.

Group G: Brazil

It is a shame that Dunga is retiring as head coach, because I love what he has done with the Brazilian national team. Many people were outraged to see Ronaldinho not make the team, a former World Player of the year he should have been a sure bet. Thankfully for Brazil, Dunga realized he wasn't. After receiving many of his rewards, Ronaldinho became a one-show man, he did not play as part of a team. By leaving him off, Brazil now have a more cohesive force, with superstars in every position.

They easily qualified in first place, scoring the most goals and having the least against, and many consider them the favorites to win the tournament. However, I think this will be a year in which they are disappointed. Wait, didn't I just say they have a stronger team? Certainly, the problem is, so do a couple of other teams that Brazil is likely to face in the knockout stages. In the round of sixteen Brazil will probably come up against either Switzerland or Chile. Switzerland, although having a strong defense, will be hard pressed to score goals, so Brazil would win this one. Meanwhile Chile can score a lot of goals, but they give up a lot as well, with Brazil having scored seven times in two qualifying games against them. Another win.

The Quarterfinals is when Brazil will likely be tested. Coming up against an incredibly strong Netherlands squad that will happily run and gun with them. I see the game ending in a goal fest, but unfortunately for Brazil, a single late goal from one careless mistake will probably cost the game for them.

Key Players: Kaka (pictured) is, arguably, one of the top three players in the world, and still top ten if hurt, he's just that good. He scores goals, he gives assists, he tackles, he tracks back, he's got everything. It will be imperative that he stays fit so that he can feed the ball to striker Luis Fabiana, or if Fabiana is too heavily marked, take pot-shots from outside the eighteen yard box.

As always with Brazil, expect a lot of flashy goals, and some rabid fans that will drive them to amazing feats of glory.

My Prediction: Quarter-Finals.

Group F: Paraguay

Finishing third in South American qualifying, Paraguay were always one of the leaders to make it to the finals. With a strong defense, giving up only sixteen goals (second only to Brazil's 11), Paraguay showed they could take on the world.  Being only one of two teams to beat Brazil in qualification, then going on to beat Argentina, La Albirroja will be going into this years tournament with very high expectations.

However, they do have one downside, they can't seem to score enough. At the end of qualification Paraguay had only netted 24 goals, which isn't bad, but it was only one higher than eighth placed Venezuela. The problem seems to be in the midfield where they lack a strong play maker. Currently playing a 4-4-2 formation, with the two central midfielders playing in a deeper role, there is always a big gap between the players in the middle of the field. To compensate for this, coach Gerardo Martino may opt for a more offensive 4-3-3, with one of the strikers hanging further back and acting as a quasi offensive mid.

Once the midfield manages to get the ball forward, Paraguay should have no problem scoring some goals. Although left out of the squad for a lot of the qualifiers, Roque Santa Cruz [pictured] of Manchester City appears to once again be healthy, and this quick striker can run and gun with the best of them. He may have only played in five games so far this campaign, but he already has three goals! Italy should be very cautious, as the wins against Brazil and Argentina could be foreshadowing another possible upset.

My Prediction: Second Round.

Group D: Australia

The Socceroos are back for not only their second world cup, but their second world cup appearance in their history.  After making it to the round of sixteen in 2006, they were uprooted from their Oceana qualifying group and placed into Asia, which they promptly stormed through to the finals.

Now more experienced, Australia is sure to be a hit at the 2010 World Cup. However, they were unfortunate enough to be placed in a very tough group. Most people say Group G is the group of death this year, but I disagree. Brazil will qualify, Portugal has not been as good lately, but will still get lucky, Ivory Coast is a bit overrated, and North Korea will be last place at the tournament. On the other hand, Germany may be rock steady, but Australia, Serbia, and Ghana are all very strong teams, and they all have a shot at getting second place. Furthermore, if one of them manages to upset Germany, then any of the three could even possibly get first in the group!

Currently there is a lot of criticism on coach Pim Verbeek. Naturally it is a tough job for any coach to follow in the steps of Guus Hiddink, but Verbeek has been criticized for playing to conservatively. Sitting on wins by playing defense rather than attacking, and substituting out needed attackers to put on more holding midfielders.  Hopefully the warm-up matches will give Verbeek an idea of which starting team he would like to run, and use them to their highest potential.

Australia's toughest game will be against Ghana, as the two teams fight over second place.

Key Players: Tim Cahill (pictured) has been a lifeline for club (Everton F.C.) and country. Possessed of a strong work ethic, he can make good runs and score, knocking four goals in qualification. If he can stay fit, Harry Kewell is also a natural selection, having played in the EPL for a number of successful years.

My Prediction: Group D 3rd place, just narrowly missing out on goal differential.

Group B: Nigeria

Nigera have a star-studded lineup, but may under perform this year. Unfortunately, this isn't a new thing. Nigeria has always had good players, many playing in Europe, some for the top teams, yet the team does not win much.

In the 1990's other countries feared Nigeria. They had flair, creativity, and passion. They just didn't want to win, they wanted to perform. With this desire to simply have fun, the Super Eagles went on to upset many teams, often being hailed as the African Brazil (until that title was passed onto the Ivory Coast). However, lately they have not played attractive soccer. They don't have the fun they used to, they just seem to show up and play, and play ugly, if need be.

Sure, they have amazing strikers, with enough attacking options to make the Brazilians and Spaniards cry, but their midfield does not have the creativity, and the defense does not have the passion that one normally sees in full/center backs. If Nigeria wants to win, the midfield will really have to come together and rally around each other. Tracking back to help defend will be very important while they feed some long balls for the fast paced strikers to run onto.

Key Players:
The two strikers: Obafemi Martins (pictured), and Yakubu, are excellent proven strikers in the European leagues. They have pace, are powerful in the air or on ground, and have the burning desire to score as many goals as they can. However, to be successful they will have to rely on Jon Obi Mikel to help anchor the back-line. Playing for Chelsea, Mikel knows a lot about defense, so he will have to impart that wisdom onto the rest of the team.

My Prediction: 3rd Place Group B