retired_bbcarr

i would have mentioned mido........ if he was in the squad. he missed the tournament because of a broken ankle

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GROUP B


Portugal:

Perennial underachievers Portugal once again find themselves in favour with a number of punters despite never having produced the goods in any major finals. They were hugely fancied for their home tournament, the European Championships in 2004, but after struggling to qualify from a seemingly easy group, they fell in a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Belgium in the quarter finals. It was a sense of déjÃ*-vu as they had struggled to get out of the group stage in the 2002 World Cup and then lost in the 2nd round, 4-1 to Argentina.

Many see the main problem for the Portuguese being their refusal to let go of the ‘old guard’ of players. The side that won the youth world cup all those years ago is still, largely, together in the senior side despite, in the eyes of the public, being well past their sell-by dates.

The biggest scapegoat for those who criticise the old guard is LuÃ*s Figo. It is widely accepted that he hasn’t hit his best form since he left Barcelona for Real Madrid, although that didn’t stop Lazio paying Real a nice £6.5M for his services mid way through last season. The ageing forward is, by far, his country’s most capped player, having appeared on 101 occasions and scored 33 goals in the process. But, he has too often under performed at major championships for people to believe that he can be a success this time round.

Another under performing midfielder is Inter’s Sérgio Conceicão. The winger has been in and out of the national side during the years that it has taken him to win his 63 caps as he, like Figo, has often been found wanting on the big occasion. However, Conceicão has been in excellent form for Inter, helping them to three consecutive Serie A titles.

There are a good few Italian based players in the Portugal World Cup squad, and another is former Benfica hero Nuno Gomes. Gomes, who has scored 13 goals in 38 appearances for the national side, has found goals very hard to come by in recent years at club level. In the past five years he has only reached double figures once, netting 11 times in Fiorentina’s 2004/05 campaign. As such, many fans are more than puzzled as to why Portugal manager António Oliveira insists on keeping him in the starting XI, as he is likely to do for this competition.

Perhaps the most talented player in the Portugal squad is actually a defender. Sporting Lisbon’s Beto has been earning praise across the continent over recent years for his consistently solid performances, providing the platform upon which Sporting have built themselves into a force to be reckoned with on the European scale. Ironically, however, it was a mistake from Beto which saw Portugal knocked out of Euro 2004. A clumsy foul on Belgium’s Emile Mpenza in the final minutes of the quarter final gave the Schalke hitman the opportunity to put his side through from the penalty spot and he gladly accepted, sending the hosts crashing out.

Prediction: Though it could be seen as courting disaster, we are going to plump for the Portuguese as winners of group B, though we aren’t even going to think about predicting how they’ll fare after that.

retired_bbcarr

South Korea:

Co-hosts of four years ago, South Korea surprised more than a few experts by qualifying for the second round, finishing as runners-up in their group. Unfortunately for the home fans, te second round was as far as they would go as they lost comprehensively to Germany. A repeat of their 2002 performance would definitely satisfy this growing football nation.

The biggest stars of their side most definitely lie in attack, indeed three of their strikers ply their trade at top European clubs. Former Perugia front man Ahn spent last season in the French league and finished the campaign as the league’s top scorer for his championship winning side Lyon. For the national side, Ahn has a good, if not great record, having netted 14 goals in his 38 caps. As he can also play equally well on the right hand side of a front three, he may find himself consigned to the bench as the more versatile members of squads often are. The top international goal scorer in the aquad is Anderlecht’s Seol. The striker, who has been based with the Belgian giants for a long time now, has 19 goals for his nation in his 48 appearences, most of which have been from a starting berth. Seol, like Ahn, was the highest scorer in his league competition this season. He bagged 27 in Anderlecht’s league campaign, his best since he joined the club and is favourite to land a starting slot. Vying for the second striker berth with Ahn will be Barcelona’s Lee Chun-Soo. The diminutive Korean has been with the Catalan stars for two seasons now, playing 42 games in the process, although a lot of them came as a left winger, supplying Javier Saviola and Milan Baros with the chances they needed. If Ahn and Seol get the nod upfront, then don’t be surprised to see Lee Chun-Soo find himself playing ‘in the hole’ just behind them.

The other European star in the squad is Fulham defender Song Jong-Kook. Song is one of the most versatile players in the squad as, though he is a defender by choice, he can happily fill midfield roles and is able to play right, left or centre. A note of just how much experience the South Korean side holds, Song is the second least capped player of the 23 with 31 appearences for his nation.

Prediction: If experience won tournaments, then South Korea would be a good bet to go all the way. But, unfortunately, there are not enough players in the squad with the high level of talent needed to propel a side into the latter stages. Although strong in attack, their defence often lets them down and with the talented attacking options available to other sides in the group, we feel that 3rd place has South Korea’s name written all over it.

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i've got to go out now, i'll post the rest of group b when i get back

retired_bbcarr

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Harleqin:
Good start. And I like your title Maybe "Es gibt nur ein Deutschland"? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

if my german doesn't desert me too much, that say's "There is only one Germany", which i like

glad you're enjoying so far, jesper :thup:

retired_bbcarr

Sweden:

Many blamed Sweden’s failure to qualify for Euro 2004 down to the decision of Henrik Larsson to quit international football after the 2002 World Cup. And, to be honest, they have failed to find a striker of the same calibre to replace the Celtic Park legend. However, even with Larsson they didn’t have a stunning tournament in South Korea and Japan, as they were crushed 4-0 by England in the quarter finals.

Despite their lack of a top quality striker, they do have some wonderfully talented players around the rest of the field. The most well known is Arsenal’s attacking midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg. Freddie has been a mainstay of the Arsene Wenger side which has provided the biggest challenge to Manchester United’s decade of dominance in English football. His ability to score serious amounts of goals from midfield is possibly his greatest talent as well as the fact the his probing, off the ball runs make life for his strikers easier by taking defenders’ attentions onto him. His scoring record at international level is not as impressive as his club history, having netted only seven in 44 caps.

Alongside Freddie in midfield will be Leeds winger Kennedy Bakircioglü. A revelation in the 2001/02 season when he signed for the Elland Road club from Hammarby for a relative pittance, many felt he was unjustly left out of the World Cup ’02 squad. And with Sweden missing out on Euro ’04, Kennedy is determined to leave his mark on a major tounament.

In defence, their biggest talent is FC Bayern centre back Andreas Jakobsson. Having been an automatic choice in the Bayern defence over the past few years, Andreas took over the void filled by the retirement of Celtic defender Johan Mjällby. Big and uncompromising, he is exactly the type of defender that the majority of strikers do not like playing against. He can time a tackle to perfection and has some pace to go with it. Now with 37 caps, and a single goal, to his name, his experience is without question and will be needed if the Swedish defence is to hold strong enough to see them through into the latter rounds.

If Sweden are to make it good in World Cup ’06, they will need goals from their frontline. And, that frontline is likely to comprise of Ajax’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic and PSG’s Yksel Osmanovski[/I]. Between them, they haved amassed 27 goals in 86 international appearences, roughly 1 goal in every 3 games. However, they could only manage 4 between them in the qualification campaign, as most of the country’s goals came from midfielders Bakircioglü and Kim Källstrom of Chelsea. For a midfielder, Källstrom has a wonderful goalscoring record in the international game, a whopping 17 goals in 28 appearences (a record a number of out and out strikers would kill for). And perhaps it is he who could be the key to Sweden getting into the second round.

Prediction: If their midfield fires on all cylinders and scores the goals that the strikers will almost certainly not, then a place in the second round should be simple enough. The fans, and the players themselves, are desperate to fare better than they did in 2002 though, which would mean a semi final place. To be honest, we can’t see them going that far, but do think that a second round place will be their’s.

retired_bbcarr

United States of America

Despite having representatives at the top of the tree in most other sports played around the world, the US have never been able to conquer the football world. Many see it as only a matter of time before the public interest in ‘soccer’ rises to a high enough level for the sufficient funding to enable them to take on the world is made available. Until that time, getting to the finals is really all they can hope for.

The Americans, under the management of Bruce Arena, have had a settled side for a long time now and, as such, have a team which is brimming full of players with plenty of experience at international level. The most capped player in the squad is Cardiff City’s striker Eric Wynalda. Signed in the summer of 2002 from Miami, Eric is well into his mid-thirties and many have criticised his inclusion in the final 23. The fact that he has only played 12 games in the past two seasons for Cardiff seems to add weight to those complaints, and to the opinion that Feyenoord’s striker Clint Mathis should be played ahead of him, but Arena is certain that Wynalda can play a big part in getting the US to the second round and further.

Wynalda is not the only member of the squad who has played little football recently, though. Rangers midfielder Claudio Reyna has managed to take part in only 25 games for the Ibrox side since the 2002 World Cup due to a succession of injuries, the worst of which was a broken leg which kept him out for the entire of the 2003/04 campaign. However, Reyna is certain that he has overcome those problems and is looking forward to the chance to add to his already impressive tally of 81 caps.

The squad’s best defender is also one of the fans’ favourites, having spurned many chances to move to big European clubs and spent his entire career in the MLS with DC United. Indeed, Eddie Pope is seen by a lot of pundits as one of the more talented defenders at the tournament, and would certainly be a feature in most other teams. And with 64 caps already under his belt, most of which have been won as captain of the national side, good performances from Eddie are a must for the team’s hopes.

The squad’s biggest star though is Fiorentina striker Landon Donovan. The pacey forward has been with the Italian side for over four years and has rarely missed a game for them. It is perhaps surprising then that he has only managed to earn 22 caps for the US then, although his scoring record in those games reads well, having netted 11 times for his country. With a likely starting berth alongside Wynalda seemingly his for the taking, a lot of responsibility will lie at the feet of Landon but, as one of the most talented players the country has ever produced, the former Leverkusen striker will almost certainly be up to the task.

Prediction: To be honest, although there are talented players in the squad (namely Landon Donovan), we find it hard to believe that the US won’t put in a repeat of their 2002 performance and flounder at the bottom of the group without picking up a single point.



<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Group B Prediction:1. Portugal2. Sweden3. South Korea4. USA</pre>

retired_bbcarr

GROUP C


Germany:

As host nation, there is a strong feeling that Germany should be counted amongst the favourites to win the tournament. Indeed, if their 4th place finish at the 2002 World Cup is anything to go by, then they will be there or thereabouts in the final games. However, a relatively poor showing in Euro 2004 (losing to Poland on penalties in the quarter finals) has made a lot of people temper their expectations for the hosts and, as such, the majority of bookies don’t think they’ll get any further than the last eight.

With injury ruling FC Bayern midfield star Michael Ballack out of the tournament, the Germans don’t really have a big name in the squad. Instead, they are relying very much on youth, with only 5 of the 23 man squad having earned more than 25 caps. Of those 4, Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn is probably the most well known, and definitely the most experienced with 81 caps of experience to his name. Many feel that Kahn’s best years are long gone now and that Hamburg’s Hans-Jorg But should be given the #1 jersey, but manager Ottmar Hitzfeld is more than likely to stick with what he knows in Kahn.

It is in defence where the majority of the talent in the German squad lies, with another 2 of the over 25 times capped players expected to play in the back line. Jens Nowotny of Leverkusen has appeared for his country 70 times and will take the captain’s armband when he lines up at centre back, most likely alongside FC Bayern’s Daniel Schumann, a vastly less experienced player who has but 5 caps for the team. At left back, Schalke’s Jörg Böhme is expected to start. The ageing wingback has earned 32 caps in his time but has rarely been one to excel in his country’s colours.

In midfield, the absence of Ballack leaves another Bayern player as the key element. The right sided, attack minded young Seb Diesler may be moved into the central role vacated by Ballack, though none of the 27 caps he has won have seen him play anywhere else than on the right flank.

In attack, Germany are likely to play just one up front, and that berth is likely to be filled by either Dortmund’s Oliver Neuville or Werder Bremen’s Miroslav Klose. Klose has been missing from the national squad since a poor showing at World Cup 2002, but the recent appointment of Hitzfeld has seen him come back into favour in the pre-tournament friendlies, helped in no small amount by his excellent, 32 goal season for Bremen. Indeed, Klose scored 21 more goals in the campaign just past that Neuville, who had a disappointing season in a disappointing Dortmund side.

Prediction: Home advantage should see them through the group stage, and most likely as group winners, but beyond that it becomes tricky to judge. The fact that they are the only nation in the tournament who have every single one of the 23 strong squad playing in their own country may help, but Ballack will be sorely missed. We’re betting on no further than the quarter finals for the host nation.

retired_bbcarr

Norway:

The Norwegians have rarely done well at major tournaments, indeed their 2004 sojourn to the quarter finals of the European Championships was considered as one of the shocks of the tournament, especially considering their failure to even qualify for World Cup 2002. However, in a relatively weak group this time around they could easily find themselves in the knock-out stages once again.

Attack is by far the strongest area of the Norwegian squad’s game, with some of their stars playing at the highest club level in Europe. Left winger Magne Hoseth, for instance is a regular in the Chelsea side which has found itself in at least the second round of the Champions League for the past four years. In that time, Hoseth has won 29 caps for Norway, but the mere 1 goal he has scored seems scant reward for the efforts of such a talented player. Perhaps it is the role that he is asked to play for the national side that restricts his goal scoring ability to such a level. For, when played as an out and out winger, his job is simple. Get the ball to his strikers as quick as possible.

And when you have a strike partnership that has netted 51 goals between them, that is not a bad attitude to have. Of those 51 goals, Roma striker Tore Andre Flo has bagged 23 of them in the 37 caps he has won. Having moved to Italy after performing well for the majority of Norway’s run to the quarter finals of Euro 2004, Tore had been a star for Rangers for the years before that. In his three years for the Glasgow giants, Flo played a massive 122 games, scoring a more than healthy 95 goals. He admits that it still hurts to this day that he fell short of his century for the Ibrox side. His form has been slightly less impressive for the Rome giants, playing 41 games in two season and scoring 18 goals. But, nevertheless, he remains a hugely important member of the Norway squad.

His partner up front for the national side, is Tenerife’s John Alieu Carew. Having once been linked with a move to Liverpool when he was banging in goals for Spanish side Valencia, a season of poor form in 2003/04 saw him fall out of favour at the Mestalla and he was moved on to fellow Spanish outfit Tenerife where he has more than discovered his form, netting 59 times in his two seasons at the club. Carew has made five more appearances for Norway than his partner Flo, and accordingly has scored five more goals. The two combined well in the qualifying campaign, spearing Norway to a second placed finish behind Sweden by only 1 point. A play-off victory over Denmark (by 6-2 on aggregate) saw them into the finals for the first time since 1998.

Prediction: With such attacking talent available to them, Norway should cause most defences in the tournament a host of problems. And, as their defence is by no means the worst in the competition, we foresee them having few problems in finding themselves a way into the second round.

retired_bbcarr

South Africa:

Around the time of the 1998 World Cup in France, many of the people in high positions of the country’s football association predicted that South Africa would be set to take on the game and win the World Cup in time for the 2006 competition. Unfortunately for them, that prediction appears to be a long way from coming true.

They have had success in recent years though, indeed just earlier this year they made their way to the final of the African Cup of Nations, though lost to eventual winners Morocco 2-1 in the dying minutes. Even that was a disappointment though, as they had desperately wanted to hold onto the crown that they had claimed in 2004 with a penalties win over Tunisia in the final. Their form on the World stage has not been so good though, as they failed to qualify from their group in the 2002 competition, indeed they claimed only two points from their three games. And the majority of fans around the world see no reason to believe that that performance will not be repeated this time around.

Inside the camp though, there is much confidence concerning their prospects. Manchester City defender Pierre Issa is well respected as the best defender in the squad, and having gained 43 caps across his career, he has the experience to compete well at this level. Partnering him in defence will be Bennedict Vilakazi, a star of the Lyon side, but one who is far more used to plying his trade in the midfield of the French side.

The undoubted star of the squad though is Manchester United winger Quinton Fortune. Fortune has, for a good number of years now, done battle with Welshman Ryan Giggs for the place on the left flank of United’s midfield, and surprisingly, more often than not, Fortune has regularly won the battle and has been an important part in the side that has won title after title in England’s Premiership. Fortune is also one of the most experienced members of the squad, having earned himself 57 caps for his country. In that time, he ahs scored only twice, but as scoring is not his strongest suit even at club level, that is hardly surprising. His job is to supply the ammunition needed by the strike force which, unfortunately, will be missing Charlton striker Bennedict McCarthy. The talented, London based forward damaged cruciate ligaments in a league match in May and the serious nature of the injury means that he will miss the entire of the tournament.

With that in mind, South Africa are likely to play Sibusiso Zuma upfront alongside McCarthy’s regular partner, Abram Raselemane. The two have rarely played in the same side as Zuma has found himself out of favour in recent times, and when they have, they have never played upfront together, with Zuma usually employed as a right winger. It may be this makeshift partnership which undoes their chances of progression to the second round.

Prediction: It is not unfathomable that South Africa could sneak into the second round of the tournament, but it does appear most unlikely. Without McCarthy, their goalscoring ability is seriously diminished and the talents of Quinton Fortune will not be enough on their own to see them through. Indeed, we’re pretty certain that they’ll end up adrift at the bottom of the group.

retired_bbcarr

Uruguay:

Undefeated at home in their run to third place in the South American qualifying campaign, Uruguay have real hope for their chances in the tournament, although not if their recent performances in major tournaments are anything to go by. Having failed to emerge from their group in the 2002 World Cup, they repeated the dose at both the Copa America tournaments in 2003 and 2005.

Their relative poor performance in the tournaments is somewhat puzzling though as they do have some very talented players available to them. One of their biggest talents will play the tournament between the sticks. Juventus goalkeeper Héctor Fabián Carini has been a mainstay of the Turin side for the past five years and has been one of their best performers over the course of those years. Should he play in two games, as he most likely will, then the second will be Carini’s 50th cap for Uruguay, and with many years ahead of him at the top level, he has every chance of turning that 50 into 100.

In midfield, Sevilla’s Andrés Nicolás Olivera will pull the strings, most likely from a position on the left flank. Although, no matter where he lines up, Olivera will be given a certain amount of freedom to roam as he pleases and set up attack after attack for the South American side. Olivera has been playing that role for the Uruguayans for a long time now, having won 56 caps in the years that he has been considered good enough for international level. The 16 goals he has scored can be considered a more than favourable reward for an interntional winger.

In attack, their shining light is Inter Milan’s Alvaro Recoba who has the best goalscoring tally of any in the squad. His 20 goals have come in 66 caps and he will need to be on his best form if he is to caryr his country into the second round. However, form may be a problem for Recoba as he has played very little football over the past few years at Inter. Seemingly happy enough to appear at training and pick up his pay cheque whilst being granted the odd game or two now and then, Recoba has appeared more times for Uruguay in the past tow years than he has for his club.

Prediction: Recent major tournament form cannot be ignored when talking of Uruguay, and their failure to even qualify from a group stage gives little reason to believe that they will do so this time. With both Germany and Norway having more talent across the squad, we can’t see them forcing their way into the second round.



<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Group C Prediction:1. Germany2. Norway3. Uruguay4. South Africa</pre>

retired_rainmaker

Get to the Danes already

Still a great read Simon. I'm still not quite over the shock of you having a finished story