Five teams to watch at the World Cup
Looking ahead to the World Cup, here are Capitan’s top five teams that promise to have you on the edge of your seats come June.
England
If he can stay fit, England have a great chance of going all the way… on paper at least.
England, England, England… What are we going to do with you? You fail to get to the Euros and then breeze through qualification for South Africa brushing past Andorra, Croatia, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, winning 9 out of the 10 games while scoring 34 goals - the highest of any European team in the qualification stages.
On paper England should make it all the way. Ferdinand and Terry provide a firm foundation from which to go forward: Gerrard, Lampard, Milner, Walcott, Joe Cole and Wright-Phillips give options in the middle of the park, and Rooney (please stay fit) with Crouch, Bent, Heskey or even Defoe give plenty of attacking threat. The only weakness comes at the back with the no.1 - Greene, Hart or “calamity” James. None of these have played in a major international tournament which is unlikely to instil confidence, and might prove costly when facing Germany or Portugal in a penalty shootout.
Having said all of that, there is one weapon in our arsenal that could help the Three Lions through - Fabio Cappello. Arguably the best football manager England have had in recent years, and one who gets results by demanding the simple things like hard work and respect. If you don’t give either, you are out, and the team know this. No more WAGs in the hotel, no more drunken antics in dentist’s chairs… just results.
Fancy a flutter? - Betfair give 13/2 on England to take the trophy home for the first time in 44 years, or 3/1 to reach the final. Think Rooney is gonna be top scorer? You’ll get around 12/1 on that, with FS going for an outsider in the form of Gerrard at 150/1. He is generally preferred to Lampard by Capello and could be the set piece taker now Beckham is officially out injured.
Spain
He will undoubtedly get the supply… does he have the finish?
Spain are perennial underachievers at the World Cup, having never bettered the 4th place they achieved back in 1950. This year could be the coming of age for undoubtedly one of the finest national teams currently on display.
Spain’s great record coming into the competition and current European Champions status will give them plenty of confidence in South Africa. Whether they can transfer this confidence into a trophy is yet to be seen, but with the likes of Iniesta, Xavi, Fabregas, Pujol, Torres and Villa vying for a place in the starting XI, they have every chance.
If all their key players stay fit, there is no reason that they can’t go all the way - and it would be about time too.
Fancy a flutter? Betfair offer 4/1 on Spain winning, or 2/1 to reach the final. Villa and Torres are 9/1 and 10/1 respectively to be the top scorers.
Argentina
South Africa 2010 could be the 1st of many World Cups the, “Little Lion” dominates.
Argentina have played the most games over the years at the World Cup, and have, perhaps not surprisingly received the highest number of red cards since the competition’s inception in 1930.
Historically remembered with little fondness by the opposition, the South American giants have always lived in the shadows of their neighbour and great rival Brazil, and Argentina have an uphill struggle if they are going to become world champions this year. After Diego Maradona was made manager, he used 70 different players in 14 games to just scrape through qualification - taking an embarrassing 6-1 battering from Bolivia on the way!
However, there will be one guaranteed starter (unless Diego has completely lost the plot) - Lionel Messi. In this diminutive 22 year old, they have one of the most gifted players to have EVER played the beautiful game. Untrackable movement, blistering pace with or without the ball and a deadly pair of shooting boots make the little Lion one of the most exciting players on the planet. He has guided Barcelona to victory on his own many times this year… can he reproduce that form and inspiration for his country?
Fancy a flutter? Betfair offer 8/1 on Argentina winning, or 4/1 to reach the final. Little Lionel could well be the star of 2010, and you can get a generous 10/1 on him being top scorer - and with a relatively easy group stage (Nigeria, Greece and South Korea) could claim a decent number of goals before going through to the knock-outs.
Algeria
They will need luck and to avoid the big teams if they have any chance of beating their previous best.
The “Desert Foxes” could be this year’s surprise package in South Africa, in only their 3rd tournament ever, and a massive 24 years since their last.
The climate won’t affect them, and being close to home soil should give them adequate support to create at least one shock as they face England, the USA and Slovenia in the group stages. With Belhdj of Portsmouth on the flank, there is always a threat of a good quality ball being put in, and all eyes will be on the starting strikers to pounce on any scraps that may be thrown their way.
Lady luck might need to be singing for Algeria, but with the rub of the green, Algeria might just get the furthest they ever have at the big stage.
Fancy a flutter? Even though (we think) Algeria have a decent chance of getting to the knock out stages, they are a massive 620/1 with Betfair to lift the trophy, or a more reasonable 7/2 to get through the group stages.
Brazil
Time for Kaka to put a disappointing domestic season behind him.
There is little that can be said about Brazil that hasn’t already. When they are in the mood, all the skill and flair in the world will come out and the opposition team will find it hard to even get the ball, let alone have a chance of winning.
If the boys from Rio don’t turn up however (metaphorically speaking that this), it is not impossible for a couple of upsets in the group stages. Defeating the Ivory Coast, Portugal and North Korea will be no mean feat, but with the like of Kaka, Robinho, a fully fit Ronaldinho and Dani Alves all at their disposal, they should be strong enough all over the pitch to see most teams off. It is a big “should” though.
Dunga, Brazil’s manager, former captain and defensive stalwart, will need to manage them carefully and ensure that each player remains focused and plays to the top of their game. Without their manager, their football could turn sour and the streets of Rio won’t be alive to the samba sounds come July 12th.
Fancy a flutter? As Brazil are always in or around the final, it is no surprise that they are only 5/1 to win the World Cup, 5/2 to reach the final, and a mere 6/5 to be in the final four. Where you could pick up money however is with the top scorer, Fabiano is a decent bet at 13/1, with Kaka good value also at a whopping 54/1. The problem with Brazil however is that any player on the pitch can score, so don’t be surprised if all of their squad bags a couple of goals each!
