World Cup - Mexico

Mexico seems to be one of the constants of the World Cup. They are always qualified, they are never a joy to watch, and they are always eliminated in the first knockout stage. There is little reason to believe this year will be any different.

They struggled more than ever before in qualifying, but eventually starting releasing swine flu bacteria into their opponents dressing rooms and, lo and behold, their home form led to qualification.

They keep the ball well and have some talented attacking players in Carlos Vela (Arsenal), Giovanni Dos Santos (Tottenham), Javier Hernandez (Manchester United), and Alberto Medina (Chivas de Guadalajara), but they will still play a grind it out style and hope to get through by the odd goal.

They are in a group with the hosts, France, and Uruguay. The most important match for Mexico may be their opener, which is also the tournament opener, against South Africa. The stadium will be an explosion of Bafana Bafana pandemonium, a true twelfth man advantage. There are also those that claim FIFA makes sure the referees in the opening match favor the host country, but this is hard to prove, as the host country is usually better than the team they open with. That is not the case here, so a conspiracy theory will be tested.

Mexcio's defense is tough to break down though. Both El Tri and South Africa struggle to score goals, and it is possible that this brilliant spectacle will open with a dour 0-0 draw. Mexico will hope for this. If the Bafana Bafana manage to win, and either France or Uruguay get 3 points from their match, Mexico could be in trouble.

My final verdict, I think they will advance. They will have to get 4 points from their first 2 matches though, because South Africa play France on the final match-day, and if a draw gets both those countries through, the gentleman's agreement will be in place, and El Tri will be left complaining to FIFA.

France Update

Lassana Diara is out of the World Cup for France. He is a good player, but, as I outlined earlier, France has so much depth in midfield it really won't hurt them too much. Abou Diaby will probably step in to play a central defensive role, and I think he will be just fine.

World Cup - France - Part 2

Defense: It is still unclear whether William Gallas will be fit for the tournament or not. The French are weak in central defense. I am not even sure who will partner Gallas if he is healthy. The fullbacks are outstanding though. Patrice Evra, Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna, Anthony Reveillere, and Eric Adidal would all start for almost every country in the World Cup.

Defensive Midfield: I suspect the formation of choice for a lot of team sat the World Cup will be a 4-2-3-1. France will probably put Jeremy Toulalan and one of the Diarra's in the holding positions. All three players are adequate, but it is unlikely the entire trio can get through the group stage without a red card. They can all be reckless tacklers.

Attacking Midfield: Florent Malouda and Franck Ribery will be the wingers, and Yoann Gourcuff will attack through the middle. That is an outstanding group. Pace, power, trickery, technique, and the ability to score goals from all three players. Sydney Govou and Abou Diaby are also good options coming off the subs bench.

Striker: It is hard to see anyone but Thierry Henry starting any matches up front for France, even though both Djibril Cisse and Nicolas Anelka have had better season and are currently in better form.

This is a talented collection of players, and you would think a place in the knockout stages would be a foregone conclusion, considering they are in a group with Mexico, South Africa, and Uruguay. But problems are lurking just below the surface.

As I stated yesterday, Raymond Domenech is a terrible manager, he may be the worst coach at the World Cup. This is a problem because Uruguay and Mexico are both physically imposing teams, and a lot of these players don't fancy a fight. And South Africa will no doubt be lifted by raucous home crowds.

This tournament represents a final break from the great teams that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Cup. Thierry Henry is the only player remaining from those squads. If this group had any other manager, I would predict a run to at least the Quarterfinals, and give them an outside shot of winning the whole thing. But with Raymond Domenech in charge, they will be lucky, very lucky in fact, to get out of the group stages.

World Cup - France - Part 1

Today will begin my series of posts focusing on countries who will be playing in this summer's tournament. Preliminary 30 man squads have been posted, and we have a pretty good idea for most teams who their most important players will be.

Let's start with France, specifically the incompetent manager of the French team, Raymond Domenech. Domenech has been known to select his starters based on astrology, propose to his girlfriend in post-match press conferences, and rely on aging players well past their prime.

The headlines about the French squad have focused on who was left off the list. Karim Benzema, whom Real Madrid paid over £35 million for last summer, will not be going to South Africa. He is only 22, and is a big part of France's future, but he has not had a good season. He started 20 games for Madrid in all competitions, and made 17 substitute appearances, scoring 12 goals.

Normally, I would agree with this decision. A young player, in poor form, not playing regularly for his club, does not deserve to get into a deep squad such as France. Here is the problem; An OLD player, in poor form, not playing regularly, also does not deserve to get into a deep squad such as France. 19 starts, 8 substitute appearances, and 4 goals is a far worse season than what Benzema had, yet it was enough to get Thierry Henry into the squad. Now maybe Henry has earned the benefit of the doubt based on his past performances, but for me he has not been an effective player in almost 2 seasons.

The second headline is about Patrick Vieira. The veteran holding midfielder, despite working his way into the Manchester City first team late in the season, was unable to secure a seat on the plane next month. I also agree with this decision. Vieira was poor his last season at Arsenal, and has never regained his form. He should announce his retirement from international football, as he deserves to go out gracefully.

The third headline is the one I really have a problem with. Samir Nasri, who has had a glorious season for Arsenal, and is a player I would probably rank as one of the ten best attacking midfielders in the world, will not be going to the World Cup. He is a joy to watch, as evidenced by his goal in the Champions League against Porto that sent the bar I was watching at into an uncontrollable frenzy. Now Nasri probably wouldn't have started for France, but he would have been a hell of an option off the bench, and a nice insurance policy given the unpredictability of Franck Ribery.

So, that covers the omissions from France's World Cup Squad. Tune in again tomorrow for a review of the players that will be representing Les Bleus this summer.