Before we begin, sorry for the delay, I have been incredibly busy as of late, on holiday, and preparing for exams and the like. After the next fortnight is out the way I’ll be able to update far more often! Its that time again, and everyone has caught World Cup fever! So here are the teams that nobody seems to be rating apart from me…
- Paraguay
With Brazil and Argentina as neighbours, you’d be forgiven for failing to notice Paraguay even have a football team, especially as they have failed to set the world alight yet. The furthest they have ever reached in the World Cup is the second round, and their only international success is a Silver medal in the 2004 Olympic Games. However, this time round, I’m starting to believe they might just overachieve. Things are looking very progressive for Paraguay. This is their fourth consecutive World Cup, and they qualified strongly for South Africa, beating Brazil at home and drawing with the Argies. Although many key players have hung up their boots, such as keeper José Luis Chilavert, they have a new generation of rising stars who have won various tournaments in the U19′s squad. Ontop of this, they have a fairly uncompetitive group. Slovakia and New Zealand (both tipped to be non-challenges) should be easily beatable, and their only challenge comes from an Italy squad who are leagues behind the squad that won in 2006. By the time you read this Italy v Paraguay will probably be over, and so you can make up your own mind.
- South Korea
South Korea first came to the world’s attention when they made it to the semi-finals against all odds in 2002. There is no doubt their home advantage helped them, but their main power came from the truly heroic dedication and love the fans showed to their squad. Since then they have only grown stronger, qualifying for all subsequent tournaments and holding their own, despite getting tough draws such as France. In recent times, South Korea had a 27 match winning streak that was only stopped by Serbia late last year. They dominated the 09/10 Asain Football Awards, winning coach of the year, national team of the year and league team of the year. South Korea’s only pitfall will be their group, a difficult draw involving powerhouses Argentina, who will no doubt be their biggest challenge. Other than this they face European underdogs Greece (who, at time of writing, were thrashed 2-0 by Korea in a thrilling match), and African wildcards Nigeria. Alongside Group A (France, Mexico, Uruguay, South Africa), Group B is looking to be one of the most closely matched groups of the 2010 tournament, and should prove to be a worthy test of mettle.
If I squint, I can pretend this is the Sugarhill Gang reunion tour.
- Ivory Coast
The biggest wince of my life. Thats what I pulled when I saw the draw for Group G. Brazil, Portugal, Ivory Coast and… North Korea (hey, if you’re ever feeling down because your country has got a tough run of games ahead, just remember it could be worse – you could be North Korean). This group is such a pool of talent that one normally dangerous team has already had it’s chances written off by many. However, it is my opinion that Ivory Coast still have a good chance of getting into the knockout stages. It came as a crushing blow when star man Didier Drogba was ruled out by injury, but they still possess a large amount of talent from across the club world from players such as Solomon Kalou, the Touré brothers and Emmanuel Eboué. This may only be their second World Cup, but they have international quality in their side. Although they have a difficult run of games, Brazil have been in better form than present, and didnt have the most confident of qualifying runs. With a bit of drive Ivory Coast could yet surprise everyone, and would send a wake up call to those that have forgotten that the rulebook of football can be ripped to shreds in the World Cup.
Seriously though, sucks to be North Korea.
