Game 21: Serbia vs Germany

This would be a game dictated by the official, something a fan never likes to see.

Serbia would score the only goal of the match in the 38th minute when Milan Jovanovic would get onto a loose ball in the box, sliding it past the German goalkeeper.

The goal came shortly after Miroslav Klose had recieved his second yellow card (the sixth yellow in the first quarter of the game), to send the goal-scoring giant to the locker room. The sad thing is, is both fouls were rather tame, certainly not card worthy.

As a result of so many cards, Germany would not be able to play their usual physical game, for fear of later suspensions. They did, however, have a few chances. Sami Khedira, at the stroke of half-time would volley in a rocket of a shot, only to see it smack against the crossbar.

Then in the 60th minute Germany would be given a penalty kick, after a Vidic hand-ball in the box. However, Lucas Podolski would fail to deliver the shot, with Vladimir Stojkovic of Serbia coming up with a tremendous save.

The game would end Serbia 1 - 0 Germany.

Hopefully Germany can put this loss behind them, as they were very unfortunate with the amount of cards they received. However, with their extreme talent and desire, I can easily envision Germany still going through to the knockout stages. To do so they will need to win their last game against Ghana, then hope that either Ghana or Serbia lose one match, as Australia would need to overcome a lot of goal differential to edge out Germany for a spot to move on.

Game 8: Germany vs Australia

Poor Australia.
The socceroos went into the tournament with high hopes, but after tonights game, they will have to be fighting for their lives to survive. The situation becomes even more desperate now that Tim Cahill will have to serve a two match ban, after having received a straight red on a rather innocent tackle. Yes, it was from behind, but please, there was no malice in the challenge, a simple yellow-card would have done. I will say it again, poor Australia.

Germany were easily the better team in this match. Touted by the German media as not being a real contender this year, due to their young age and inexperience, the team were able to silence their critics with a comfortable four-nil win.

The ability in which they moved the ball around the field was breathtaking, constantly switching sides and attacking from new angles. Lahm proved to be a very effective captain as he kept his back-line rock solid, never really allowing Australia a chance on goal.

The scoring opened up in the eighth minute off of a Lukas Podolski bullet, after a crisp back pass from Muhller. From then on fans could tell this would be an easy game for the Germans. Then by the twenty-second minute, Klose would score, finally after having failed some clear goal-scoring chances, off of a header to put the game completely out of the socceroos hands. Final goals by Muhller in the sixty-seventh minute, and by Cacau in the seventieth minute would seal the deal.

All in all, the Germans were perfect all around; however, the same can not be said for Australia. The team started out well, but after the second goal it just seemed like they were not in the game. Germany was constantly able to make runs behind the back four and get chances as the Australians were just too slow to react with their back line. It seemed like they were trying to create an off-sides trap, but against seasoned players in a top flight, it just didn't work, instead they should probably try staggering themselves in the future. By doing so the Australians would have better vision of the attackers, allowing them to react a split-second faster on the break away runs.

Midfield was also a large issue, with the team not being able to string together passes. This was mostly a confidence and temperament issue. They were becoming frustrated too easily, and that frustration led to mistakes, bad touches, and the tendency to blame others for their own shortcomings. Since the team is now without Cahill, who is amazing at finding and creating space, the Australians will really need to practice feeding the ball to each other, as the replacement strikers will not be as experienced.

Excellent showing by the Germans, easily the best team in the tournament so far. I only hope Australia is able to put this game behind them and bounce back.

Group D: Serbia

Serbia find themselves in a tricky situation. Playing for the first time as their own nation, the White Eagles are looking to come out of the starting blocks in a tournament that has placed them in a tricky group.  Currently ranked fifteenth in the world, they received that rank by winning their qualification campaign, placing one point higher than France.

But upon closer look, one has to wonder whether that rank is accurate, or if it reflects the strange formula of the FIFA ranking system. France played very poorly in qualification, against all teams, not just against Serbia. The other opposition included Austria, Lithuania, a poor showing Romania, and Faroe Islands, none of these teams being a real threat.

This isn't to say, however, that Serbia isn't without a few surprises. With Nemanja Vidic (pictured) of Manchester United, and American national team turned Serbian Neven Subotic of Borussia Dortmund, the Serbians have an imposing defense. Add on the fact that their line running is incredibly fast, and they are really good at dead balls, it would seem that Serbia has the perfect all around team. The problem is that Germany will have no problem going toe-to-toe with them, and Ghana will have a lot of fan momentum from playing on African soil. Don't misunderstand, their qualification was a success story for such a small nation, I just fear it will end quickly.

My Prediction: Group D 4th Place.

Group D: Ghana

Along with Australia, this is Ghana's second world cup appearance in a row, and second ever. In addition, just like Australia, they have a fearsome squad.

In 2006 Ghana shocked everybody by reaching the second round, where they were promptly beaten by Brazil, but they did put out a good showing. On top of this, Ghana went on to win the U-20 competition, and a few of these players on now in the squad.

A unique aspect about Ghana is how young all the players are, with the average age sitting around 22-24 it is amazing to see so many of them succeeding in the top flights of the game. However, without Michael Essien (who is out injured), will Ghana have a chance? He was easily the teams best player, and one of the reasons they made it to the Cup for two tournaments in a row.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Ghana will be the most successful African team at this tournament. They will reach the second round and put up a good fight against England, and then lose in the dying minutes of the game. Note, I also pick Cameroon to make the second round, but they will be soundly defeated by Italy, which is why I say Ghana will be the most successful.

Key Players:
Asamoah Gyan (pictured) is an amazing striker, having scored 17 goals in 32 qualifying games he will be the target for the midfielders, such as Sulley Muntari who had an amazing season with Internazionale as they went on to win the Champions League.

My Prediction: Second Round loss to England.

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 D: Germany

Champions of three world cups, almost always make the round of 16, and on top of it, usually make the quarterfinals! Germany are the epitome of steady consistency, but without star and captain Michael Ballack, how good will the team be this year? It will be up to Philipp Lahm (pictured), recently promoted to captain, to lead a team that the world expects a lot from.

Qualifying comfortably from their pre-tournament group, Germany should easily make it to the round of sixteen, leaving it up to Australia, Serbia, and Ghana to battle it out for second place. I'm predicting Germany to make it to the quarterfinals (naturally) but their fitness will be tested against Argentina, a more classy team in terms of technical skill, and the fact that Lionel Messi should not have many issues navigating his way through the tough German defenders.

Compared to the other top teams throughout the years, the Germans do not have flashy plays of brilliance, the repeat ad-nauseum stepover, or the tricks that make fans scream. However, what they do have is excellent teamwork. The Germans never fail to work together and grind out results. If they find one side of the pitch is dominating them then they will quickly react. It is for this reason that Germany will once again go far in yet another World Cup.

Key Players:
Philipp Lahm is the new captain of the team due to the injury of Michael Ballack, so it is paramount that he can help keep the players focused. An excellent right back player, he is ace at surging forward to deliver crosses into the box. Not to mention he is very good on the dead ball kicks!

Miroslav Klose: He may be aging and not getting a lot of first-team soccer at Bayern Munich, but you can expect him to be a factor coming of the bench. Where his speed and shots on goal will be a menace for the worn out defenders.

My Prediction: Quarter-finals.