Luis Suarez

It's the 40th minute of Liverpool v Manchester United, and the home side has just gone up 2-0.  Both goals have been scored by Dirk Kuyt, but both have been set up by Suarez.

The Suarez signing was widely mocked in England, with most pundits making a joke about him being a good goalkeeper (because of the handball on the goal line at the World Cup), then a reference to Afonso Alves (a South American striker who scored a lot of goals in Holland, the flopped in England), but really not knowing anything about Suarez himself.  If they had watched any of Uruguay's matches prior to the Quarterfinal against Ghana, they would know that Suarez was outstanding in every facet of the game.  He and Diego Forlan were the best strike-partnership at the World Cup.

I think Suarez will have one and a half or two fantastic seasons for Liverpool, and then, much like Fernando Torres, move on to a bigger club.

Brazilians in Europe

There are so many of them!  Everyone from AC Milan to Shahktar Donetsk has at least one or two Brazilians, often as many as seven or eight.  Some of the lesser known clubs from places like Romania have more than half of their team consisting of Brazilians.  Not a lot of defenders in that group though.  Or more importantly, holding midfielders.  Now I am not talking about destroyers, everyone has those, I am talking about cultured ballplayers who get stuck in, as the English would say, but also pull the strings and play the passes that create the opportunities for the more attacking players.

Netherlands v. Spain

Here it is. The one we have all been waiting for. The two greatest footballing nations never to have won the World Cup. Two countries famous for their attacking talents, their passing ability, their brilliant football, and their unpredictable temperaments. I think it will be epic. I think we will see brilliance on the pitch.

Football is often a game of attrition. This is an era where the biggest concern is conceding goals, and the aim of most managers is not to lose, rather than to win. Even with those for whom the win is important, 1-0 is the preferred tally. But I don't believe that mentality will rule the day tomorrow. I believe both of these teams want to win, and win in 90 minutes, and they want to accomplish that by scoring more goals than their opponent. It sounds silly to say, but it is never the goal of a team like Italy.

My prediction is that Arjen Robben will put on a show, and David Villa will match him firework for firework, aided by the superb passing of Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, and Wesley Sneijder. Look for Robin van Persie to get a goal, but it will not be enough. Spain 2, Holland 1. The World Cup Trophy can go on display next to the European Cup from 2008.

World Cup Semi-finalists

I should have gone to Vegas before the tournament and made some bets. I could have been a rich man.

Netherlands will play Spain in the final, just as I thought. Most interestingly, a new nation will win the World Cup for the first time since France did so as hosts in 1998. Uruguay is also on that list, they won the first World Cup as hosts in 1930, then won it again in 1950. They didn't add their third trophy this year, but they may well have been the story of the tournament. A tiny South American nation that had to qualify through a playoff ends up reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup. Luis Suarez looked great, and no matter what you think of his handball against Ghana, he was one of the stars of the tournament.

That said, for me, the player of the tournament has been Diego Forlan. He has scored goals, he has created goals, and he has been the leader of his team in every sense of the word.

The team of the tournament so far also lost this week. Spain won the match on Wednesday, but Germany has been a revelation. And their entire midfield will still be in their 20's at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Keep your eye on this team. I would think they will be co-favorites, along with Spain going into the 2012 European Cup.

World Cup Transfers

Just as reliable as the tournament itself, is the rush of big clubs to buy up players who impressed while playing for their country.

One of the first up, Pablo Barrera, a 23-year-old Mexican winger who plays for UNAM in Mexico. Of course, Mexico have a deep pool of talented youngsters who love to attack, and Barrera didn't even make the starting XI, he was used as a substitute in three of their four matches. Yet he is still being chased by West Ham, Lazio, Espanyol, and Celtic. Barrera looks to be a good prospect, and he will not be too expensive, but he will be more than he was a month ago.

A good signing was announced a few weeks ago by Manchester City. I have to say, for all the complaints about Manchester City throwing their money around, it's difficult to point to specific signings and say they were bad. Even the ones that have turned out poorly (Robinho, Bojinov) I thought were justifiable at the time. City signed Jerome Boateng from Hamburg in Germany for about £12 million. Considering that he has played well for Germany, and Germany have been outstanding in getting to the semi-final, City saved themselves a substantial amount of money by signing him before the tournament started.

I must admit though, the Yaya Toure signing does perplex me a bit. The fee of £24 million is a little high for a holding midfielder, but not crazy, as he is a very good player. What I don't understand is why they would sign Toure when they already have Nigel de Jong, Vincent Kompany, Gareth Barry, and Patrick Vierra in the same role.

The red half of Manchester enjoyed similar good fortune, as United's signing, Mexican forward Javier Hernandez, scored two goals and showed himself to be possibly the fastest player at the World Cup. He cost £10 million, and looked like a very good prospect at the tournament. By agreeing to this deal in April, Manchester United probably saved around £5 million. Which is good, because I think the Chris Smalling signing from Fulham is an absolute waste of £8 million.

I am sure more World Cup signings will come down in the next few weeks, as the players return home from South Africa, but that is what we have for now.

Netherlands v. Brazil - Part 2

I am hoping for an epic battle akin to the 3-2 match last decade. Both teams have looked solid defensively, but spent most of their time going forward. It will be interesting to see if one side is able to dominate possession, and how the other will respond.

The man to watch for Brazil is Robinho. He has been their creative force so far in this tournament. Luis Fabiano is getting the goals, but Robinho is the one scaring his opponents, specifically right-backs, as he has done most of his damage on the left flank. Holland has alternated between two right-backs in this tournament, the young, attack-minded Gregory van der Wiel, and the veteran, more defensive Khalid Boulahrouz. Which of these names appears on the team-sheet will tell us a lot about the Dutch tactics going into this match.

Brazil's defenders will have to keep a close watch on Arjen Robben. He is just returning from injury, but he has continued the phenomenal form he showed in leading Bayern Munich to a domestic league/cup double and a place in the UEFA Champions League Final. Robben usually plays on the right because he is so effective at cutting inside and shooting with his dynamic left foot.

The man charged with stopping Robben for Brazil will primarily be Michel Bastos. Bastos plays as an attacking left winger for Lyon, but Dunga has moved him to left back for his country. THis is an important match-up to keep an eye on. If Bastos is sitting deep to cover Robben, he is not getting involved in the Brazilian attack. This is a huge advantage for the Dutch, as Brazil depend heavily on their full-backs to give them width going forward.

I predicted before the tournament that the Dutch would knock Brazil out at this point on their way to the Final. I am sticking with that prediction. 3-2, Oranje.

Netherlands v. Brazil

As many predicted, both of these supremely talented squads have not yet been challenged in the World Cup. It looks like the first tough match they both face will be against each other. That could make for a cagey opening 20 minutes or so. Both defenses will have to be on guard against an early goal, especially Holland, who have been a little shaky at the back.

Brazil knocked Holland out of the competition in 1994 and 1998. Most people will probably expect that to happen again. The idea being that the same teams always end up being the legitimate competitors for the trophy, and when the going gets tough, the Dutch will self-destruct, just because they always have. I don't believe that. In fact, I believe this July will see a new country lift the trophy at the World Cup for the first time since France in 1998.

For me, that new country will be one of the also-rans from years past, specifically Holland, Portugal, or Spain. It is unfortunate that the latter 2 are meeting so early in the tournament, but those are the breaks.

My predictions are that Spain will beat Portugal tomorrow in a very exciting match, and that Holland will knock Brazil out next week.

I Will Take Talent Over Experience Every Time.

And ask yourself, after this morning's match, was there a single player on the field for England that would have got into the starting XI for Germany.

Frank Lampard was the only one I could see, possibly replacing Lukas Podolski. But Podolski provides width, which Lampard doesn't. I guess you could move Mesut Ozil outside and put Lampard in the middle, but Germany wouldn't do that.

Anyway, my point is, England has the most popular, and in my opinion, best league in the world, the English Premier League. It is also the most watched league in the world, by far. Unfortunately for England, popularity of a domestic league does not equate to talent of domestic players. Players from Manchester United, such as Wayne Rooney, or from Chelsea, such as John Terry, or even from Aston Villa, like James Milner, are well-known, but that does not make them world class. The quality of players is just not there for England.

USA v. Ghana

This game will come down to the defenders in the middle of the park. Which center-back pairing will hold up to the pressure created by the size and pace of the opposition?

Thing is, I don't know the answer. All of Africa is going to be behind Ghana, the stadium will be a madhouse. The Americans have encountered crowds like this before in places like the Azteca. Or maybe Landon Donovan has made us all believe that anything is possible.

USA 1, Ghana 1.

And on penalties...Ghana.

Uruguay v. South Korea

I really like both of these teams. They are fun to watch, hard-working, and have just enough talent to make things interesting. A lot of people will be picking Uruguay in this match, and with good reason. They have a rock solid defense, as they have yet to concede a goal in this tournament, and a talisman in Diego Forlan, who will be the most gifted footballer on the pitch in this match. I think that is important.

When all else fails, Argentina can turn to Messi, Holland can turn to Robben, the US can turn to Donovan, Spain can turn to Iniesta, and Uruguay can turn to Forlan. It doesn't always have to be a goal either. It can be a pass, a run to create space, even a defensive play. The point is, big time players win big time games.

This is the knockout stage of The World Cup. Every game is big time. Every game is the Super Bowl, Game 7 of the World Series, and Game 7 of the NBA Finals all rolled into one. We all know who can handle it, cause everyone else shit their pants, and are on a flight home to change their underwear.

However, there is a difference between handling it and owning it. Park Ji-sung can handle it. He has been in huge matches before, and he will perform admirably, I have little doubt of this. South Korea can win this match, and Park can lead them there. They are that good. But in the 115th minute, when everything is on the line, when it is do or die on the biggest stage in the world, who will provide that moment of absolute brilliance, that ball that only a few players in the world would dare attempt? For me, in this match, it is Diego Forlan.

Uruguay 2, South Korea 1.

USA Win Group C, England Advance!

You will all have to excuse me if I am a little discombobulated, I have just got off a two hour roller coaster ride. Wow!

The disjointed, disinterested, disappointing English squad of the last two weeks was nowhere to be found today. Fabio Cappello made a couple changes, nothing too drastic. The English tabloids wanted Joe Cole, but he was the same place he has been for most of the competition, on the bench.

England scored early, and dominated possession for most of the match. Slovenia had a few decent moments, but looked nothing like the team the US played against a few days ago. This result was in little doubt.

That left the USA needing a victory over Algeria. This match was bit more even, although the US created loads of good chances. They even had a good goal ruled out for the second time in this tournament. They left it late. Boy, did they ever leave it late!

If the US is to continue to perform well in this tournament, Landon Donavon will have to put the team on his back and carry them. He is their best player, their most talented player, their most experienced player, and now he needs to be their leader.

Dour Predictions

I am afraid it is going to be a sad day in the states. England beat Slovenia, the US draw with Algeria, and the two European countries go through. I hope I am wrong, but the US team has just been too inconsistent to make me think they can breakdown an Algerian side that is very adept at holding the ball and slowing the game down.

Into the Knockout Stages

Today Uruguay, Mexico, Argentina, and South Korea went into the final 16 of the tournament and found out who they will play.

Uruguay will face South Korea. The South Americans have more talent, particularly on the front line, and let's face it, that continent has dominated events thus far. However, the Koreans are well organized at the defensive end, and like to play on the counter attack, where they display their own formidable talent, as well as pace. I like the South Korean team, and I wrote in my predictions that they could possibly make a run deep into the tournament, but Uruguay is a tall order. Uruguay are so sound defensively (they have yet to concede a goal), and Korea has shown a tendency to let their opponents score, so it is hard to see anything but a Uruguay victory. I will say 2-1.

Mexico and Argentina played each other at this stage of the 2006 World Cup in Germany as well. It was a very close, hard-fought match that went into extra time. The deciding goal was an amazing strike by Maxi Rodriguez, who took a ball down off his chest and volleyed in from about 25 yards out. It was a fabulous strike, and happened very late in the game, giving Mexico no chance to recover.

Both teams are more talented now than they were in 2006, so we should see another great match, with a rare brand of attacking football on display. I am afraid Argentina will be too much for Mexico, which is a shame, because I think that with a better match-up, Mexico could have made a deep run, maybe as far as the semi-finals. Unfortunately for El Tri, there will just be too much of Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez for them to handle. I predict a match for the ages, and a 3-2 Argentine victory, behind a Tevez hat-trick.

So, South America should continue to dominate, with at least two teams into the quarter-finals.

Group C

This is the one that everybody in the US is playing special attention to. It was thought that English speaking countries would waltz through to the knockout stages, leaving the smaller countries of Slovenia and Algeria in the dust. Boy was that wrong.

I actually theorized on a way that these countries could cause some mischief in an earlier entry, but I still didn't give them enough credit. Slovenia are in the driver's seat. A draw against England puts them through. A victory puts them through as group winners. They could lose and still go through depending on what happens in the other match.

England are through if they win, but need a lot of help if they draw. This is not an ideal situation, but they do still control their own destiny.

Algeria need to win and hope that England don't win.

The US are in with a win. They need help if they draw, but likely go through ahead of England if both draw.

It will be an interesting Wednesday morning, to say the least.

Big Names

If we don't count South Africa, there were seven seeded teams that earned that position on merit. Let's look at those seven.

Brazil; Won their first 2 matches, already assured of advancement to the next round.

Spain; Lost their first match. But they can still go through quite easily if they win their last two matches. Honduras looks unlikely to put up too much of a fight. Of course, if Spain doesn't dispatch of them tomorrow, it may be time to panic.

Netherlands; Already advanced after winning their first two matches. The games were hard-fought, no doubt, but victory was never really in doubt.

Italy; The Azzuri have drawn twice, and looked bad doing it. What else is new. They control their own destiny though. Beat Slovakia and they are through. Has a boring 1-0 written all over it.

Germany; They won their first game and lost their second game, but they control their own destiny as well. Win and they advance. Draw and they need help.

Argentina; Diego Maradona and his charges are just about through. It would take a dramatic turn of events to keep them from winning the group.

England; For all the hand wringing going on in Blighty, England are actually in decent shape. If they win they advance. Draw and they need help.

So calm down everybody. All seven of the seeded countries are still very likely to go through.

World Cup - Spain

Spain's biggest problem may be their embarrassment of riches as far as talent is concerned. When the team is playing well or gets an injury it is wonderful to have depth at every position, but when things go wrong, as they did against Switzerland last week, doubt creeps in, second guessing starts, factions begin to form within the squad, and the manager has a big mess on his hands (also see Cappello, Fabio).

Spain have lost twice in their last 45 matches (Switzerland last week, USA last summer), and they have had a set starting XI for basically that whole period of time. Yet after one bad (and it must be said, fluky) result against the Swiss, the people of Spain are calling for changes.

As for me, I picked Spain to win the tournament, and I am not changing that prediction. I expect them to obliterate Honduras on Monday, and be well on their way to the knockout stages.

World Cup - Brazil

Everybody has been saying that the perennial favorites did not look their usual selves against North Korea, but I disagree. While the Koreans discovered new and (un)exciting ways to park the bus in front of the goal, Brazil basically played the way they have for the past 16 years, since they won the World Cup in 1994. They are pragmatists.

We all (myself included) love the idea of the 1970 or 1982 Brazil teams just trying to outscore everybody with the most talented offensive players in the world, but Brazil is not that team anymore. Joga Bonito is the stuff of myth and legend, not fact.

Don't get me wrong, Brazil is still a very talented squad, with several players who can really turn on the flare when necessary. But they play a very practical formation with two holding midfielders and an emphasis on defensive positioning and a lot of running.

Brazil are an excellent squad, and Dunga is certainly one of the best managers at this tournament, but don't expect an 6-5 matches from this team. In fact, I would get used to 2-1, we may see it from them another five or six times.

Who has been most impressive so far?

Germany won 4-0, but that scoreline is misleading, the Germans scored two late goals after Australia had their leader sent off with a very questionable red card.

South Korea and Holland both won 2-0 and looked good doing it.

Ghana and Japan played fairly well in 1-0 wins.

Argentina and Nigeria both looked good going forward and questionable at the back, and the South Americans managed to edge it.

For me, Ghana may have been the most impressive team overall. They looked good going forward, despite some questionable finishing, and very solid at the back. I still think Serbia will have some say in that group, and Germany are more than likely to go through. Australia will be without Tim Cahill for one match. It has to be said that at this point Ghana are in a very good position.

World Cup - Portugal

Portugal is a country of wingers. So is Holland, but they usually manage to convert some of their guys into forwards. Portugal is just a country of wingers. So they finally imported a striker. Brazilian born Liedson has just recently qualified for Portugese citizenship, and I am fairly certain his application did not go to the bottom of the pile when it was received. But he is exactly what they need. He is not particularly big, but he is pretty good at holding the ball up. Most important, he is a poacher.

Wingers such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Simao, along with central midfielders such as Miguel Veloso, Tiago, Pedro Mendes, and Deco, are going to let fly from all over the field, and that means there will be a lot balls bouncing around in the box. If Portugal manage to get to the quarterfinals or beyond, Liedson could be a surprise competitor for the Golden Boot. Of course, to get that far Portugal will have to beat Brazil and Ivory Coast in their group, and possibly Spain in the round of 16.

This is an extremely talented squad front to back, with a few older players, especially in defense, but no glaring weaknesses. That said, I think it will all come down to Cristiano Ronaldo. If he is in top form, he could really carry Portugal for a solid month, and score a lot of goals in the process. Most people would probably say that Messi is the best player in the world, and it is hard to argue given the season he has had at Barcelona, but Ronaldo is not far off. A big tournament for him could take that crown away from the diminutive Argentine.

I think Portugal will get out of their group, but not without some tense moments. It is an unfortunate quirk of the draw that the second place team from this group will probably have to play Spain in the round of 16. That is a match better suited for the semi-finals given the talent on display.

World Cup - Ivory Coast

As I mentioned earlier, this could be Didier Drogba's World Cup. In many ways, he should own it. And it looks like he is going to try, broken arm dragging behind him.

Now don't get me wrong, The Ivory Coast have a very talented squad top-to-bottom, but Drogba is their heart and soul, and in addition to being their most talented player, he plays the position where they have the least depth. Salomon Kalou and Gervinho are both good players, and will be very dangerous on the wings either side of Drogba, but neither is well-suited to lead the line. If Drogba cannot play, that task will fall to Aruna Dindane, who has previously scored in the World Cup, and is coming off a solid season with Portsmouth of the English Premier League. But he is 5 feet 9 inches tall, not exactly the towering figure you want battling the likes of Lucio and Carvalho.

Sven Goran Erickson has recently taken charge of the Ivory Coast, and he will have his work cut out for him. His group of big name stars at major European clubs have disappointed in several tournaments. If Sven can get them out of a very difficult group, especially without Drogba being fit, he will go a long way towards rehabilitating his reputation.

Everything else aside, this team should be entertaining to watch. I fear they will once again underperform, putting a big scare into Portugal and Brazil before eventually heading home, their golden generation well on its way to retirement with no notable achievements to show for their trouble.