Game 16: Spain vs Switzerland

Today Switzerland made history by beating Spain, with a score of 1-0, for the first time ever in the first week of World Cup play at Durban Stadium, continuing their streak of five world cup games in a row without having conceded a single goal.

Spain, who dominated almost every faucet of the game, would be unable to score against the Swiss, who's aggressive and indomitable defense would prove too much for the possession based Spaniards. Committing 19 fouls and only controlling 26% of the possession, Switzerland was constantly on the defensive, but in the 52nd minute they would capitalize on one of only a few chances, when Gelson Fernandes would score with a tap in after some sloppy defense from the Spanish side, which allowed a Switzerland attacker a one-on-one chance with Iker Casillas. Casillas would miss the ball with his feet, but knocking the attacker over, which created a loose ball for Fernandes to jump onto.

Spain would try to rally themselves, by bringing on more attacking options in Fernando Torres, Jesus Navas, and Pedro, and although the substitutes had an immediate effect, they would constantly find themselves coming up short. As the minutes passed by, Switzerland would constantly put more bodies behind the goal as Spain would tally for a total of twenty-five shots, but only five on target. The Goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, of Switzerland, would have a very impressive game, making many game saving plays, against such players as Torres, Pique, and Iniesta.

Spain's best chance was in the 70th minute, when a corner kick was layed off for Xabi Alonso, who would strike the ball with a vengeance only to see it smash against the crossbar. In the last ten minutes Spain would become desperate, constantly attacking and keeping the ball in Switzerland's third of the field for the majority of the time. Unfortunately for la Furia Roja, the final whistle would blow, giving Switzerland the first major upset and giant-killing of the tournament.

Andres Iniesta, a player already dealing with injury problems, was substituted off in the 77th minute, adding to the woes of the Spanish Team.

Spain next play Honduras on June the 21st at Ellis Park, while Switzerland will play Chile, also on the 21st, at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

--
It would seem that the Spanish Coach did not know what to fully expect when facing the Swiss, because I don't believe the 4-5-1 formation, with David Villa as the lone striker, works against a solid defense such as Switzerland. Instead, Spain should have started with the partnership of Villa and Torres so they could work off of each other, and help pull defenders away. Even if Torres was hurt, Navas or Pedro would have been suitable replacements. Ultimately, Spain got a little unlucky, as Switzerland was able to capitalize on their only real chance. As a result Spain will need to really redress their ranks, with the midfielders in particular working on their shooting.

Switzerland is a defensive team, but they got lucky this game, having scored a goal to get the win instead of a draw. Without Alexander Frei due to injury, the Swiss will really have to start attacking, instead of sitting back and defending constantly. All in all, the Swiss may have been completely dominated, but they still won, that is the nature of football.

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: Switzerland

Switzerland could probably say they are having the same problem as Ivory Coast at the moment, they are without their star goal-scorer. Just a few days ago Alexander Frei was put on the injured list, after suffering a bruised and sprained ankle. This is a big problem for the Swiss.

Overall Switzerland is a sturdy, efficient team, but they are not an exciting team. Very defensively minded, they will usually try to sit on wins instead of pushing for more goals, but unlike other teams such as North Korea, they are good at it. Philip Senderos [pictured] will play centrally in the defense. Tall and strong, he has gained valuable experience while playing for Arsenal F.C. in the EPL.

It should be made aware that this will not be Switzerland's World Cup, but in the future it could be. Recently the country beat Nigeria to win the Under 17 world championship, as such the future looks good for the Swiss. Although the team may not go far in this years tournament, it will be an excellent training field for the youngsters, who will bring their valuable experience forward to usher in a new Swiss era.

My Prediction: Group H: 3rd/4th Place. It all depends how Honduras does.

Group H: Honduras

Honduras will be making their second ever World Cup appearance in South Africa, the last coming in 1982 when they were eliminated in the group stage. Having an excellent run in qualification, Honduras will be looking to take full advantage of their good placement in Group H.

Although Spain is more than likely to win the group, under coach Reinaldo Rueda Honduras has the chance of moving into the knockout stages. By taking advantage of their "unknown" status, Los Catraochos could find themselves getting results against a weak Switzerland side, and dashing the dream of Chile to reach the second round. However, in order to accomplish this, the team will need to really step up their defense, which has been shaky in the past. Throughout qualification the team rarely won with a shutout, instead having to fight back and score a lot of goals to secure victory, but this is a double-edged sword. Switzerland will have a pretty good defense, but no offense, so the result could be a draw. On the other-hand, Chile is much like Honduras, weaker defense but good offense, so I think this could be one of the highest scoring games of the tournament.

Key Players: Wilson Palacios [pictured] is the most high-profile player on the team, playing his club ball with Tottenham in England. Playing the central midfield role, it will be his duty to feed the strikers and take shots from outside the box. Although traditionally lacking when called up for international duty, under Rueda he has shown new promise, and he will be integral to the coaches plans.

My Prediction: Group H 3rd/4th place. This is the only team I can not easily be confident in the placement. I do not think they will move on, but I have a feeling they may still leave the tournament with the world smiling at them, because I believe they will be huge entertainers.

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: 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 B: Greece

Greece were the 2004 EURO Cup winners, shocking the world by winning the final with a calm and patient style of play; yet, they failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. 2010 will essentially be the chance for Greece to once again prove they are deserving of the previous European title, but due to an aging squad, they will be hard pressed to live up to previous success.

The road to the World Cup should have been an easy one for Greece, as their only real competition came in the form of Switzerland, but instead they struggled through until the very end. Maybe the defensive soccer technique payed off, because the Greeks are here once again, but if the coach [Otto Rehhagel] keeps struggling with a static lineup, then the out of position Greek players could see themselves quickly overwhelmed. Generally speaking, expect all of Greece's games to be low-scoring as their German coach erects an impregnable wall. The only exception could Nigeria who, with their superb strength on the ball and physical play, could brush aside the stalwart defense.

Key Players:
Theofanis Gekas was the top scorer in qualification, while midfielder Karagounis is the ever vocal captain. These two will need to constantly be in sync for the defensive Greeks to have a chance of scoring any goals.

My Prediction: 4th Place Group B