The World Cup comes to Africa for the first time next year, but I am not convinced South Africa 2010 will increase the probability of an African country finally winning the big one.
It’s not that I intend to rain on anyone’s parade, but way too much has been made of Africa’s World Cup chances purely on the strength of the finals holding on the continent for the first time. Of course, hosts South Africa will be lifted by playing on familiar territory, in a climate they’re used to and in front of large partisan crowds, but will Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Algeria really have an edge over their group opponents purely as a consequence of playing in Johannesburg, Durban and Pretoria? I am not convinced, and there are two reasons why.
First, the climate doesn’t offer any extra advantage to these countries, all from west and North Africa. If anything, the South African winter may provide more of an edge for the Europeans and South Americans. Of course, all the African teams are staffed by Europe based pros now so they shouldn’t have a problem adjusting, but clearly the weather will not give them any kind of edge.
Second, I don’t think the African representatives will have that much of an edge with supporters either. For one thing, it’s still unclear how many African fans will be making the long trek to South Africa – probably not a lot, given the sheer size of the continent and the relatively high costs of air travel. We are quite unlikely to see the kind of influx Germany experienced from neighbouring countries like Holland, Italy and France at the last finals. For all we know, there may well be more fans travelling from Europe for the finals than from within the continent. South African fans can be counted on to turn out in large numbers, at least when Bafana Bafana play. I’d be surprised if they came out in significant numbers to cheer on the other African countries.
Nevertheless, this may well turn out to be one of Africa’s better showings at the mundial – even if the draw could have been kinder.
No one would argue that the continent’s biggest hope is Ivory Coast, yet they have again been dropped into one of the toughest groups, alongside Brazil, Portugal and North Korea. The Elephants boast an impressive array of stars, led by the experienced bunch of Didier Drogba, the Toure brothers and Didier Zokora, as well as an emerging younger cadre represented by Lille youngster Gervinho, but they’ll need to be at their best to secure one of the two spots in Group G. Of course, Brazil and Portugal also know they’ll need to be on their game to see off this Ivory Coast team.
Ghana will be no pushovers either, especially if their midfield tandem of Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari and Stephen Appiah stay in-form and healthy. They remain a little light-weight in attack and will be hoping that Under-20 World Cup winning sensation Dominic Adiyiah matures in time to support Asamoah Gyan and Matthew Amoah up front. But they’ve got an even tougher draw, in a more evenly matched Group D where they face Australia, Germany and Serbia.
Oddly enough, I think the host country – home advantage and all – have the slimmest chance of progressing. South Africa, in Group A with Uruguay, Mexico and France, have a group that both the Elephants and Black Stars would have loved, and although they will have improved by June, I doubt that the midfield promptings of Stephen Pienaar and Kagisho Dikgacoi, the defensive nous of Matthew Booth and Aaron Mokoena, and all the vuvuzelas in Jo’burg will be enough to see them through to the next round.
Cameroon return to the finals after missing out last time and the Indomitable Lions will fancy their chances against Holland, Denmark and Japan. Not only do they boast, in Samuel Eto’o, one of the very best strikers in world football, he also leads a fine cast of accomplished players – Idris Kameni, Jean Makoun, Stephane Mbia, Alex Song and Achille Emana – and they should ruffle more than a few feathers in South Africa.
Algeria will have to continue their giant-killing ways to get out of Group C, where England awaits them alongside the dangerous but under-rated duo of USA and Slovenia. A team with few star names, the Algerians persevere on their strong work ethic and one-for-all attitude. Nevertheless, experienced pros like Rafik Saifi, Karim Ziani and Nadir Belhadj will give their opponents a few worries come June.
Then there’s Nigeria’s Super Eagles, drawn in an eerily familiar group with Argentina and Greece – two of the teams they faced in 1994 – as well as the tricky South Koreans. Of course, Greece, champions of Europe in 2004, are far from the whipping-boys they were 16 years ago and that should make for a keenly contested group. Then again, the Eagles are not the Super team they were in ‘94 either and were hardly impressive in the qualifiers. A team blessed with a surfeit of attacking options – Obafemi Martins, Aiyegbeni Yakubu, Victor Obinna, Ike Uche, Osaze Odemwingie and Chinedu Obasi– has looked severely handicapped by a lack of creative types in midfield and a general lack of cohesion. If coach Shaibu Amodu can coax a performance from this bunch at the Nations Cup finals, that would bode well for their chances in June.
Still, a lot could happen between now and June and the Nations Cup finals – scheduled for Angola in January - may well reveal much about what to expect in June.
We’ll wait and see.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Notes on El Clasico
If you missed last Sunday’s El Clasico – that much hyped clash between European champions Barcelona and moneybags Real Madrid – then you missed something quite special. Okay, it wasn’t on the same level as last year’s eight-goal barnstormer at Madrid’s Stadio Bernabeu but this game certainly lived up to the hype. Real’s big names carved the best openings and worked hard to stifle Barca’s intricate play, but the blaugranas’ teamwork and finishing triumphed in the end, a spectacular goal from Zlatan Ibrahimovic separating the two sides after ninety minutes.
For me, three things came to mind:
First, while a lot has been made of Barcelona’s attacking play – with good reason too – a big part of their success has to be an often overlooked yet equally resilient defence. Carles Puyol yet again proved a barrier too solid to breach for Real, and two last ditch blocks – on shots by Marcelo and Karim Benzema – helped maintain Barca’s clean sheet. A bigger part of their success for me is the poise and sterling team play of Gerard Pique, the ex-Man U reserve who has thrived superbly - he’s now a starter for Spain - since returning home last season. This guy is fast becoming one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in the game – kind of like Rio Ferdinand used to be before injuries and age took their toll. Take Barca’s winning goal on Sunday. The move actually started with Pique smoothly taking the ball off Ronaldo in the Barca box, then rather than hoof it upfield, he strode to the centre line before passing it off to Messi deep in Real territory. The little Argentinian then found Dani Alvez wide on the right and his pin-point cross was smartly finished by Ibra. From one box to the other, just three passes, and all started by the solid defending and smart ball-playing of Pique.
Second, the brilliance and impact of Lionel Messi was again to the fore in another high profile game. To think some bozo on a BBC chatroom – don’t know why I bother - had actually stated a few months ago that Messi is over-rated! Sure, this was on the strength of Argentina’s struggles to qualify for the World Cup, but I daresay that can only be down to other factors – management, tactics, teammates – rather than any failing on the part of the little magician. For all the close attention he gets and the knocks he takes, Messi never hides, always looks for the ball, never shies away from taking on defenders – no matter how tight the space – and always carves chances for himself and others. Of course, having great teammates always helps and playing alongside Xavi and Andres Iniesta – experts in finding space where there seems to be none – only brings out the best in Messi’s game. But that can’t be the whole story. After all, Real Madrid’s Marcelo, rather than look good with all the stars around him, only sticks out like a sore thumb. Messi’s the real deal. If his U-20 World Cup exploits in 2005 didn’t convince you; or last year’s Champions League Final left you with doubts; or Barca’s 6-2 win at the Bernabeu last season still didn’t do the trick, then last week’s El Clasico should be more than enough.
Third, the interesting contrast between Barcelona and Real Madrid was again clear to see on Sunday. And not just with regards to their style of play either. Granted, the Madridistas are still a work in progress following the high profile arrivals of Kaka, Ronaldo, Benzema, Alonso, Albiol and Diarra in the last 12 months, but their quick counter-attacking game, relying largely on individual skills - the passing of Alonso, and the speed and craft of Kaka and Ronaldo - was a stark contrast to Barcelona’s team-focused, patient, possession-based passing game. Beyond that though, is the different philosophies adopted by both teams; while Real Madrid is clearly a side built by buying the best players money can buy, Barca’s focus is more on building from within. Of the eleven starters for Real on Sunday, only two – goalkeeper Iker Casillas and the recently-returned Alvaro Arbeloa – are home-grown. Indeed, only five of that team were even at the Madrid club just 12 months ago. Barcelona on the other hand, started with seven homebred players, all well-steeped in the club’s traditions and playing style. Of course, that is not to suggest that Barcelona do not buy big name players. Far from it; they currently have Ibrahimovic, one of the most expensive players in world football, and Dani Alvez, the most expensive full back in history, and their past his littered with names like Cruyff, Laudrup, Stoichkov, Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho.
Yet the core of this current team – ably managed by another home-grown former star, Pep Guardiola – is very clearly home-bred. It sure helps if those players are named Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, but it is Barcelona that has nurtured them to these heights and with the likes of Pedro and Sergio Busquets also coming through, there is definitely much to praise about the club’s grooming traditions.
Indeed, if Barcelona needed any further commendation, it came this week when the results of the Ballon d’Or poll – for European player of the year – was published. Messi, as expected, took the prize with a record number of points, while teammates Xavi and Iniesta finished 3rd and 4th.
One more thing: the next El Clasico is scheduled for Madrid on April 11 2010.
Make it a date.
For me, three things came to mind:
First, while a lot has been made of Barcelona’s attacking play – with good reason too – a big part of their success has to be an often overlooked yet equally resilient defence. Carles Puyol yet again proved a barrier too solid to breach for Real, and two last ditch blocks – on shots by Marcelo and Karim Benzema – helped maintain Barca’s clean sheet. A bigger part of their success for me is the poise and sterling team play of Gerard Pique, the ex-Man U reserve who has thrived superbly - he’s now a starter for Spain - since returning home last season. This guy is fast becoming one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in the game – kind of like Rio Ferdinand used to be before injuries and age took their toll. Take Barca’s winning goal on Sunday. The move actually started with Pique smoothly taking the ball off Ronaldo in the Barca box, then rather than hoof it upfield, he strode to the centre line before passing it off to Messi deep in Real territory. The little Argentinian then found Dani Alvez wide on the right and his pin-point cross was smartly finished by Ibra. From one box to the other, just three passes, and all started by the solid defending and smart ball-playing of Pique.
Second, the brilliance and impact of Lionel Messi was again to the fore in another high profile game. To think some bozo on a BBC chatroom – don’t know why I bother - had actually stated a few months ago that Messi is over-rated! Sure, this was on the strength of Argentina’s struggles to qualify for the World Cup, but I daresay that can only be down to other factors – management, tactics, teammates – rather than any failing on the part of the little magician. For all the close attention he gets and the knocks he takes, Messi never hides, always looks for the ball, never shies away from taking on defenders – no matter how tight the space – and always carves chances for himself and others. Of course, having great teammates always helps and playing alongside Xavi and Andres Iniesta – experts in finding space where there seems to be none – only brings out the best in Messi’s game. But that can’t be the whole story. After all, Real Madrid’s Marcelo, rather than look good with all the stars around him, only sticks out like a sore thumb. Messi’s the real deal. If his U-20 World Cup exploits in 2005 didn’t convince you; or last year’s Champions League Final left you with doubts; or Barca’s 6-2 win at the Bernabeu last season still didn’t do the trick, then last week’s El Clasico should be more than enough.
Third, the interesting contrast between Barcelona and Real Madrid was again clear to see on Sunday. And not just with regards to their style of play either. Granted, the Madridistas are still a work in progress following the high profile arrivals of Kaka, Ronaldo, Benzema, Alonso, Albiol and Diarra in the last 12 months, but their quick counter-attacking game, relying largely on individual skills - the passing of Alonso, and the speed and craft of Kaka and Ronaldo - was a stark contrast to Barcelona’s team-focused, patient, possession-based passing game. Beyond that though, is the different philosophies adopted by both teams; while Real Madrid is clearly a side built by buying the best players money can buy, Barca’s focus is more on building from within. Of the eleven starters for Real on Sunday, only two – goalkeeper Iker Casillas and the recently-returned Alvaro Arbeloa – are home-grown. Indeed, only five of that team were even at the Madrid club just 12 months ago. Barcelona on the other hand, started with seven homebred players, all well-steeped in the club’s traditions and playing style. Of course, that is not to suggest that Barcelona do not buy big name players. Far from it; they currently have Ibrahimovic, one of the most expensive players in world football, and Dani Alvez, the most expensive full back in history, and their past his littered with names like Cruyff, Laudrup, Stoichkov, Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho.
Yet the core of this current team – ably managed by another home-grown former star, Pep Guardiola – is very clearly home-bred. It sure helps if those players are named Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, but it is Barcelona that has nurtured them to these heights and with the likes of Pedro and Sergio Busquets also coming through, there is definitely much to praise about the club’s grooming traditions.
Indeed, if Barcelona needed any further commendation, it came this week when the results of the Ballon d’Or poll – for European player of the year – was published. Messi, as expected, took the prize with a record number of points, while teammates Xavi and Iniesta finished 3rd and 4th.
One more thing: the next El Clasico is scheduled for Madrid on April 11 2010.
Make it a date.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)