A Look At The World Cup: Part Two

Holland vs Slovakia

Holland

Details

The Dutch side haven’t really hit top form yet, but managed to overcome Denmark 2-0, a very tidy and hardworking Japan side 1-0 and the disappointing Cameroon side 2-1. Players such as Wesley Sneijder and Robin Van Persie have been vital for the Dutch side, helping them top the group with 9 points, scoring five goals and conceding just the one solitary goal.



Key Man

Wesley Sneijder

The Inter Milan midfielder has shown no signs of fatigue from his treble winning season in Italy, and has been instrumental in the midfield five, playing behind Robin Van Persie. Sneijder has an excellent long range shot, world class technique, the ability to unlock a defence and great passing ability.



Slovakia

Details

The Slovakian side showed they were a very good side, who were unlucky to concede a late goal against New Zealand in the opening game to draw 1-1, while they lost to an impressive Paraguay 2-0, but Vladimir Weiss’s men produced the biggest upset by beating and knocking out the reigning and defending World Champions 3-2 in the final group game.



Key Man

Robert Vittek

The 28 year old striker built his career with 5 years at Nuremberg in Germany, before playing in France with Lille, and he now plays for Turkish side Ankaragucu. He has scored 22 goals in 72 international matches, and has been deadly at this year’s tournament, scoring 3 goals in 3 games, scoring a brace against Italy in the process. If Slovakia get a chance in the game, expect Vittek to be clinical in his finishing.



Prediction

As Slovakia have shown, they are capable of causing an upset, but the Netherlands are no mugs so far at this tournament and more importantly haven’t started their most impressive player; Arjen Robben, in any of the matches. With this in mind I can’t look past Bert Van Marwijk’s men winning 3-1.



Brazil vs Chile

Brazil

Details

A squad that came to South Africa, seemingly under the radar, without any real major expectations or pressure on them, which for me is a big mistake as they are the genuine contenders to win the World Cup. Brazil coach Dunga left star players Ronaldinho, Pato and Adriano at home while the likes of Kleberson returning, while Grafite and Ramires both appear at their first World Cup; fresh blood to freshen up the Brazilian side. This campaign has started ominously for the competition with Brazil topping the “group of death” ahead thanks to wins over Ivory Coast and North Korea, and a draw with Portugal.



Key Man

Luis Fabiano

The striker is a definitely as his peak right now, and has been for the past few years, and is the newly established Brazil number 9. He has 27 goals in 41 appearances for Brazil, and scored 2 goals in all 3 group games. Another clinical striker in the tournament, with power and pace, and has the benfifit of playing with creative players such as Kaka, Robinho, Maicon and Elano.



Chile

Details

Chile are a personal favourite of mine, and one of the most attacking teams in the tournament, coach Marco Bielsa is one of the best and most respected managers in South America and has began receiving the plaudits for his team performances. A poor performance against Spain aside, Chile beat Honduras 1-0 and Switzerland 1-0 to book their place in the second round.



Key Man

Alexis Sanchez

The Udinese winger has already caught the eye of many football fans with his performances in South Africa, but has been causing a stir for quite a while now. He has 11 goals in 32 caps and is expected to be Brazil’s main threat when the two meet.



Prediction

In the South American qualifying campaign, Brazil and Chile met twice; with the five time World Champions winning 4-2 and 3-0 respectively. The Chile side attacking they may be, lost their head in the match against Spain and threw away any chance of a victory with some poor decision and sill bookings. For this reason, I cannot look past a Brazil victory. They met in the 1998 World Cup at the same stage, and the Brazil side won that day with two goals apiece from Ronaldo and Cesar Sampaio consigned Chile to a 4-1 defeat.

Stay tuned for Part Three

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Top 10 Popular WAGs ranking..according to number of hits

News of the World have conducted an in-depth survey to find the most popular WAGs on the net and - mostly thanks to the world-beating twin attack of Cheryl Cole and Victoria Beckham - England still leaves the field standing.

But with much of the star talent grounded by Fabio Capello's WAG ban, there's some fearsome competition lining up in South Africa .... with Chile and Spain both sharpening up their heels to snag Posh's crown. Here’s the Top 10 from the WAGs’ popularity ranking

1 - Cheryl Cole, England, 31,100,100 hits

Not strictly a WAG following her split from Ashley Cole, but our Cheryl's X-tra-curricular career as a solo artist and with Girls Aloud has put her way ahead of the field, named in 31 MILLION Google pages. 

2 - Victoria Beckham, England, 9,110,000 hits

Hubby David is only in South Africa in a training capacity, but the queen of the WAGs is huge in the US thanks to her past career as a Spice Girl and is still on top form.

3 - Sara Carbonero, Spain, 2,330,000 hits

The sexy Spanish soccer reporter was queen of the touchline report. And then she hit the headlines herself for dating national hero/goalie Iker Casillas... rumour has it after a bet with Ronaldo as to who would win her heart her first!

4 - Pamela Diaz, Chile, 1,900,000 hits

This gorgeous lingerie model, actress and reality TV star became a World Wide WAG when she hit the catwalk at Germany 2006 with Ronaldo's then partner Raica Oliveira dressed in a bikini top made from goal netting.

5 - Elisabetta Canalis, Italy, 1,650,000 hits 

The girlfriend of Italy's Christian Vieri started her telly career on a zany news programme before she became known worldwide after appearing in the film Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. Her on-and-off relationship with frontman Vieri makes them favourites of the gossip magazines.

6 - Gemma Atkinson, England, 1,630,000

Another ringer, if we're honest, but Gem has dated both Ronaldo and Darren Bent and is now with Liam Richards - a finalist on last year's Britain's Got Talent whose act was called Strike.

7 - Olalla Dominguez Liste, Spain, 1,470,000 hits

: Ooo La La! The girlfriend and recently turned wife of Fernando Torres shuns the limelight and the couple tied the knot last May in a tiny church with just TWO guests.

8 - Abbey Clancy, England, 1,250,000

Peter Crouch has banned his fiancee from the World Cup over fears she would turn England's campaign into a repeat of the WAGs 'circus'. We can see how she might be distracting..

9 - Susana Werner, Brazil, 1,040,000 hits

Blonde singer/model Susana dated Ronaldo for two years from 1997 before striking up a relationship with goalkeeper Júlio César. The couple now have two children. He shoots, he scores! 

10 - Alice Bregoli, Italy, 996,000 hits

Became engaged to striker Alberto Gilardino in 2006 and their first baby, a girl Ginevra, was born two years later 2008. The couple wed July 5, 2009 in Santa Margherita Ligure, in the province of Genoa.

World Cup Countdown - Group H

Group H

Spain

The European champions are the World Cup favourites as they aim to collect their first ever title. The Spanish, along with the Dutch, were the only side to go unbeaten throughout the qualifying campaign with 10 wins from 10 games; finishing 11 points clear of nearest rivals Bosnia-Herzegovina. With the likes of Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas, Real Madrid stars Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol and Xabi Alonso, as well as Barcelona’s current stars; Xavi, Andres Iniesta, David Villa and Pedro, Spain have some of the best players in the World, let alone Europe. Not only do they have great players, they play great football. Expect them to cause a real stir.



Manager: Vicente del Bosque

The 59 year old has been in charge ever since Luis Aragones left after winning the Euro 2008 Championship. He guided Spain to the semi final of the Confederations Cup, where they suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat to the USA. However del Bosque made up for the disappointment by subsequently achieving an unblemished qualifying campaign.

Key Player: David Villa

With languishing doubts over the fitness of Fernando Torres, Barcelona’s new £34 million signing is one of the most unappreciated yet deadliest strikers in the World. The Spanish number 7, has scored 20 or more goals for any club, in all competitions, he has played for in the last nine years. These include clubs such as Sporting Gijon, Real Zaragoza and Valencia. In the qualifying campaign, he was Spain’s top goal scorer with 7 goals.



Best Finish: Fourth Place 1950

Prediction: Winners

Yep, the Spanish are my picks. With a starting line up including Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol, Carles Puyol, Alvaro Arbeloa, Iniesta, Xavi, Xabi Alonso, David Silva with Torres and Villa up front, can you name a better starting eleven in the world? More so the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Jaun Mata, Fernando Llorente are excellent back up options, while the likes of Victor Valdes and Pepe Reina as reserve Goalkeepers alone, Spain have the best squad and are in the best form heading into the tournament. An experienced manager such as del Bosque in charge, along with the experience of playing in South Africa already in the Confederations Cup, means Spain will undoubtedly be more than equipped to win the title for the first time.



Switzerland

The Swiss side are a team with a good array of players, however gave a poor account of themselves at the Euro 2008 championships, being labelled “boring”. This time round they finished top of their qualifying campaign ahead of fellow qualifiers Greece, with the evergreen Alexander Frei and Blaise Nkufo particularly impressing, with 5 goals each.

Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld

The well travelled 61 year old has won numerous titles all over Europe, but is most renowned for his spell at Bayern Munich, with the German side being one of the best in the World at that period. Hitzfeld now however, is all about the international stage and has been in charge of the Swiss since 2008. After an shocking 2-1 defeat to minnows Luxembourg, the German boss shook up the whole squad, and led them to going the remainder of the qualifying campaign undefeated subsequently sealing their qualification.



Key Player: Philippe Senderos

I could of picked the star player and all time top goal scorer; Alex Frei, but instead I selected a man who is only 25 years of age, has bags of experience, and most importantly; a point to prove. He is out of contract at Arsenal and is expected to leave the club, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to show his qualities and find a new club.



Best Finish: Quarter Finals 1934, 1938, 1954

Prediction: Group Stage

An ageing squad will see them compete for second spot, but just fall short. Could prove me wrong however, should the likes of Hakan Yakin, Gokhan Inler and Tranquillo Barnetta perform to the standard they’re capable of.



Honduras

Somewhat of a surprise entrant to the World Cup finals considering the distractions and continuous political unrest back in their home nation. However they managed to qualify third, behind USA and Mexico. The select few members of the squad ply their trade in Europe including Maynor Figueroa and Hendry Thomas of Wigan Athletic, Wilson Palacios of Tottenham and David Suazo of Genoa. Look out for 36 year old veteran and rejuvenated striker Carlos Pavon who has 98 caps and has scored 57 times.

Manager: Reinaldo Rueda

The 53 year old has been in charge of the Honduran national side since 2006, and is the former manager of the Columbia national team. According to FIFA’s official website, the Honduran side offers “sparkling attacking football and a solid backline.”

Key Player: Wilson Palacios

The 25 year old Tottenham player is a defensive midfield bulldog and is vital to the national side. He made his debut in 2003 and since played 68 times, scoring 5 goals.



Best Finish: N/A 1st appearance

Prediction: Group Stage

In a group were second spot is up for grabs; the Honduran team have shown in their qualifying campaign that they can score goals. This will be key to the Central Americans chances to make it through the group.



Chile

The South Americans have been absent from the World Cup tournament for the last 12 years, and finally make their return in 2010. Chile finished runners up in the CONMEBOL South American qualifying group, behind Brazil and ahead of Paraguay and Argentina. The Chilean’s attacking and technically gifted prowess are their undoubted strengths while their lack of physical strength and height could be their undoing. It seems the Chile side, who gave a great account of themselves in 1998 group stage, and somewhat have unfinished business. Look out for creative Mathias Fernandez, the skilful Jorge Valdivia, former Liverpool winger Mark Gonzalez and the young attacking star Alexis Sanchez of Udinese.



Manager: Marcelo Biesla

The Argentinean is somewhat of a strange and unique character, but is one of the best maangers on the South American continent. He has been in charge Chile for 3 years, and is known for his unorthodox training methods and his attention to detail. Can he formulate a plan to see the Chileans through? Only time will tell, but I believe he can.

Key Player: Humberto Suazo

I did a post on this individual a couple of months ago, which you can read here. I remember seeing this striker playing on TV a year ago and was impressed by his unbelievable attacking ability, so much so he finally made the trip to Europe and is playing for Real Zaragoza (where he scored 6 times in 17 appearances). The 29 year old was the top scorer in the CONMEBOL qualifiers with 10 goals. Expect him to cause all sorts of problems on the Worlds grandest stage.



Best Finish: Third Place 1962

Prediction: Second Round

I feel it’s between Chile, Switzerland and Honduras for second place, but under Marcelo Biesla the Chileans could definitely be the favourites to sneak through, thanks to their excellent qualifying campaign.



Now you have an in depth analysis of all the teams in this years World Cup, so remember to cast your vote for who you think will win.

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