Bin Your Crystal Balls

Andrea Pirlo tells FIFA that Italy are underdogs for the crown; indeed, retaining a World Cup is a tall order, thus far only managed by the Azzurri (1938) and Brazil (1962).

Scanning the myriad World Cup magazines and newspaper pull-outs in London's news stands I am struck by how dull the predictions seem and how they quickly get forgotten. Just go back and see how off-target the experts were last and every previous World Cup. Once more the big boys are being tipped. Where is the dark horse? The default response is to say Brazil will win it every time against say Italy or Germany, traditional European giants, or this time, the continental champs, Spain.

In 'Why England Lose', Simon Kuper & Stefan Szyminski' claim the winning nations are those who score highest on a measurement of GDP, population and 'football experience', the last category being the one Japan, China and the US need to work on to ensure future global glory.

But in knock-out competitions chance plays an unappreciated role, or is that penalties? A draw instead of a win in the group stage can plunge two top teams into winner-takes-all matches in the round of 16 or the quarter-finals, leaving the field clear for an unlikely nation to sneak through.

A list of semi-finalists since the '80s includes Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, South Korea, Sweden and Turkey, and who predicted any of them, or for that matter France reaching the final last time.

That said, a minnow has yet to lift the trophy, thus far a preserve of a select group of nations.





(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile


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The Final Countdown

We’re almost there now. On the evening on Saturday June 12, Seoul and other South Korean cities will be crammed with red-shirted people ready to eat, drink and watch their national team kick off its 2010 World Cup campaign against Greece.

Nelson Mandela Bay is the location for the opening Group B match, one that most pundits believe Korea has to win in order to have a good chance of progressing to the second round. There is still a little work to do before then however. Not least in a final test in the early hours of Friday morning, Korea time, against European champion Spain in the picturesque Austrian city of Innsbruck.

Spain is one of the favorites to win the World Cup. Korea’s target is a little less lofty but after two and a half years of preparation, it is a final chance for players to stake their claim for a starting spot. It is likely however, after the experimentation of Sunday’s friendly 1-0 defeat against Belarus when coach Huh Jung-moo gave much of the squad a chance to play, that most of the eleven players who line up against the Spanish will do the same against Greece on June 12.

The performance in the Belarus match was flat and the result was poor. It was a low key match however played among the Alps, good preparation for the relatively high altitude in some World Cup host cities. It had the feel of a preparation game, was a highly experimental affair and the team’s form has been good enough of late to be able to shrug off a bad afternoon. And everyone knows, winning all the warm-up games is never a guarantee of success at the big tournament.

More serious was the sight of Kwak Tae-hwi being carried off the pitch in the first half. The defender twisted a knee ligament. Lee Won-jae, the team’s media officer, said, “Kwak will need at least four weeks to recover…. Coach Huh Jung-moo will request a replacement.” It is a cruel blow for the Japan-based centre back but it is good news for Suwon Bluewings defender Kang Min-soo who has been summoned.
There have other changes as the roster was finally trimmed from 26 to the regulation 23 on Monday. Three players had their dreams dashed at the final hurdle and were sent home on Monday.

Midfielders Shin Hyung-min and Ku Ja-cheol have missed out. Both are fairly new to the national team scene and have not done enough to convince the coach that they are necessary. It is sad for Ku, a promising 21 year-old Jeju United star who has been linked with a move to English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers, but he will have more chances. Coach Huh claimed that Shin just didn’t look sharp against Belarus and the Pohang Steelers defensive midfielder is on his way home.

He will be joined back in East Asia by Lee keun-ho. The Japan-based striker was one of six attackers in the preliminary roster and it was always likely that one would be cut. Lee scored a number of important goals in qualification but hasn’t found the net for the national team in 15 months. As Huh succinctly pointed out “he has been given opportunities but hasn’t taken them.” That means that 2002 star Ahn Jung-hwan is going to his third World Cup at the age of 34.

The 23 will all be hoping to take the pitch against Spain and all will be desperate to avoid a Kwak-like fate though as the Spanish will be in a similar state of mind, it should be a fairly gentle affair. Spain struggled to a 3-2 win over Saudi Arabia last weekend and will be keen for a better performance against East Asian opposition.

Whatever the outcome, taking on the likes of David Villa, Xavi and Andres Iniesta will be a worthy final test for South Korea as they move closer to the games that really matter.

Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com


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Walcott goes nowhere, fast

Fabio Capello fooled most people with his final 23.

No-one as far as I could tell correctly read his mind to match his final selection.

Even the Fleet Street writers privy to England training camps failed to spot his intentions in full. For instance, when Stephen Warnock was omitted from the last two friendlies, it was widely interpreted as meaning he was off the radar, instead of on the plane. Ditto Shaun-Wright Phillips.

Instead, the Mexico and Japan friendlies were last-chance saloons for the second string, with only Joe Cole passing the audition with that impressive half-hour against the Japanese.

The omission of Theo Walcott has occupied most post-mortems unsurprisingly. If you can score a hat-trick away in qualifiers on your debut, trouble Barcelona and score against them in the Champions League, and get into Arsenal's team as an Englishman, chances are you're good enough for the England squad.

Being young, good-looking, pleasant and articulate did not hurt either. Maybe that was the problem, we were entranced by a wonder boy like the Americans were by Freddy Adu for years.
A clinical eye on Walcott's season reveals only 11 starts for the Gunners, while his minutes against Mexico and Japan cannot be argued to have merited selection.

Criticism of Walcott's lack of guile have been slowly growing, most vocally expressed by Chris Waddle, who claims the youngster has no football brain. Indeed, pace and control in a wide man are no good if you are running down the wrong channels, crossing badly and failing to link correctly with your teammates.

The warning signs were there at last summer's UEFA U21 Championship in Sweden. Walcott began his tournament as a high-octane sub, causing havoc in tiring defences and wowing crowds. But as coach Stuart Pearce gradually handed him more playing time his impact waned, as defences figured him out. In the final against Germany, England's match-winner in waiting never showed up to carry the day.

The omission of the incisive Adam Johnson for the predictable tramline runs of Shaun Wright-Phillips could be the more questionable choice, but given Capello's England record and trophy heritage, we should give the Italian the benefit of the doubt and assume he knows his onions.

We like to think our opinions are as valid as the gaffer's, but at the end of the day none of us have access to Fabio's thoughts and none of us his record.

England Squad:

G - James, Hart, Green
D - Johnson, A.Cole, Terry, Ferdinand, Upson, King, Carragher, Warnock
M- Milner, Lennon, Gerrard, Lampard, Barry, Carrick, Wright-Phillips, J.Cole
F -Rooney, Crouch, Defoe, Heskey

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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AFC Asian Cup organizers plan a FanZone to outrival all FanZones

The local organizers of next year’s AFC Asian Cup are planning one of the most ambitious FanZone projects ever undertaken with the aim of involving the whole community in Asia’s premier sporting event.

The Qatar Local Organising Committee (QLOC) of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011 yesterday approved what is almost certain to be the hub of activities during the 16-nation tournament which kicks off on 7 January.

The QLOC Board of Directors gave the go-ahead to a wide range of entertainment, food and fun for all the family to celebrate the three-week festival of football.
QLOC is confident the FanZone will attract more than football lovers and will be “The Place To Be” for all the family.

While the location has not been confirmed, the FanZone will be open every day during the tournament and will offer a different schedule of events every day with an ever-changing menu of food and drink from participating countries from the region and across Asia.

"QLOC is constantly looking for innovative ways to spark interest in the tournament and get everyone involved in this great festival of the best football in Asia,” said Hilal Al-Mohannadi, the Communications and Marketing Director.

For lovers of football, there will be penalty simulators, speed kicking, goal wall and ball control competitions, tabletop football and electronic football games (FIFA, Pro Evolution Soccer), beach soccer and street soccer.

And for those interested in the zanier side of the game, there are plans for a football pitch with bumps as well as a three goal-pitch.

Different regional food and drink will be served (from Qatar, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Indian, Far East, Uzbekistan and Australia) in a nice and relaxing environment.

All month long, QLOC will be offering a number of interactive experiences, including the chance to win prizes, photo opportunities and much more at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011 FanZone.

And not forgetting the tournament of course, giant TV screens will display the live matches. Concerts and shows will also be part of this entertainment extravaganza.

The AFC Asian Cup kicks off on 7 January at Khalifa International Stadium with hosts Qatar playing Uzbekistan.

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AFC gives green light to local organisers’ planning for Asian Cup

Doha, Qatar, 01 June - Asia’s governing football body, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have enthusiastically endorsed the arrangements in place for Qatar’s biggest sporting event next year, the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™.

Senior officials from the AFC’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur are in Qatar to look at the preparations and planning for Asia’s premier football tournament which brings together the continent’s 16 top teams from 7-29 January next year.

The AFC visited the five stadiums staging the 32 matches in the tournament, including the jewel in Qatar’s crown, Khalifa International Stadium, which will be hosting the opening and closing ceremonies, Qatar’s matches in the group phase, one quarter-final, one semi-final and the final.

“We have visited all the venues as well as the Main Media Centre and the International Broadcast Centre and we went through many details with the venue planning team. We have completed, during our visit, all venues planning as well as the finer details related to the broadcast requirements”, said Mr Tokuaki Suzuki, AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ Tournament Director.

The two sides were also discussing Ticketing, Marketing and Accreditation programmes with a particular focus on attracting football fans from the region as well as Qatar.

In addition, the local organisers presented their plans for a stunning FanZone with games, food and entertainment which is expected to be the hub of activities during the tournament.

The AFC’s management team also fine tuned the planned broadcast operations for the event which will be watched by hundreds of millions of viewers across Asia.

The local organisers, the Qatar Local Organising Committee (QLOC), are working closely with host broadcaster Al Dawri Al Kass to provide High Definition (HD) coverage of every match in the tournament for the first time in Asian Cup history.

QLOC’s Chief Operating Officer Dr Athanasios Batsilas was also optimistic that his team, a number of them with international event experience, would produce a world-class tournament. “Nearly all the elements are in place,” he said. “We have had very fruitful discussions with the AFC and are on track to stage a great event which will showcase the best of Asian football.”

Mr Suzuki added: “We appreciate all the hard work that has been done by the venue planning department of the QLOC to get the facilities up to the standards of AFC. I believe the QLOC have done a very good job and we look forward to working with them closely over the next seven months”.

To underline the quality of the tournament, four of the 16 qualifiers – Australia, Japan, the Korea Republic and DPR Korea – will be taking part in the World Cup in South Africa which kicks off on 11 June.

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