Sunday, June 04, 2006
World Cup Preview: Group F
Teams: Brazil, Croatia, Australia, Japan
History: There's no denying that the Brazilians are the most successful team in World Cup history. They have brought home five titles in total (1958, 62, 70, 94, 2002) and are the defending champions. They have appeared in the final each of the last three tournaments, their only loss coming to France in 1998. You have to go all the way back to 1966 to find the last time they were eliminated in the group stage, and they are the only nation to have appeared in every World Cup ever played. Croatia burst onto the scene with a surprising third place finish in 1998, but were knocked out in the group stage four years ago. Australia's only other trip to the World Cup was in 1974, where they failed to score a goal. Like Croatia, Japan has only appeared in the last two tournaments. They made it to the second round at home in 2002.
Brazil: Once again Brazil is the pre-tournament favorite, and with good reason. The Brazilians have no weaknesses at any position. The defense is experienced and as steady as it goes with all-time greats Cafu and Roberto Carlos who will be complimented by Bayern Munich's star defender Lucio. Reliable Dida will keep net behind them. The midfield will be anchored defensively by Emerson and will provide offense in the form of Ronaldinho, who might be the best player in the world right now. Brazil plays an attacking style, so Ronaldo and Adriano should score buckets of goals up front. Three scores would make Ronaldo the all-time leading scoring at the World Cup. It has been suggested that this squad could be even better than the one that was victorious in 2002, so Brazil fully expects to be playing in the final on July 9.
Croatia: The Croatians come to Germany full of confidence after an excellent qualifying campaign. They have never been intimidated by more glorified opponents, and will not back down even against tournament favorites Brazil. The team is built around their big, stingy defenders, most noteably Robert Kovac and the imposing Igor Tudor. Their goaltending is not spectacular, but the back line should keep quality scoring chances to a minimum. Darijo Srna will provide goalscoring from the midfield, which also features veteran Niko Kovac. Rangers forward Dado Prso has not been up to his usual standard lately, but is a certain starter. He'll need to provide some offense, but Croatia plays defensively, so that should take some of the pressure off. Expectations are high after two disappointing results at World Cup 2002 and Euro 2004.
Australia: The "Socceroos" are back in the World Cup for the first time in 32 years after edging out Uruguay for the final berth in the tournament. They come in as a relative unknown, so it is tough to know what to expect. Most of the Aussie players play in European leagues, and will be coached by Dutchman Guus Hiddink who's teams have made it to the semi-finals in both 1998 and 2002. Goaltending will not be a problem with Mark Schwarzer, but after Craig Moore, who has been injured recently the defense is thin in the middle, though stronger on the wings. The midfield is solid with Vince Grella and Marco Bresciano, who can score goals. Australia's most well known players will play a forward, they beeing Liverpool striker Harry Kewell and fellow Premiership players Tim Cahill and Mark Viduka. Coach Hiddink has shown he can get more than expected out of his teams, but this will be his toughest test.
Japan: Japan comes to Germany having won three of the last four Asian Cups, so they have experienced succes on the international stage. In 2002 they made it to the round of 16, though they drew a weak group and were the home team. Nonetheless, it is expected that Brazilian coach Zico will be able to take the team back to the knock-out stage, but they are in tough against Brazil and Croatia. The strong point of Japan's entry is in the midfield. Celtic's Shunsuke Nakamura will be joined by Hidetoshi Nakata and their performances will be crucial to Japan's success. Goaltending and defense are solid if unspectacular, but the Japanese's real problem will be scoring goals. Thier top two forwards, Tatsuhiko Kubo and Atsushi Yanagisawa, have both been injured and there status remains questionable. Japan needs a strong showing to continue to build off a decade of success.
Match to Watch: Brazil v Croatia, June 13. The two group favorites square off in each team's first match. How Croatia performs could be an indicator of how good of a tournament they will have.
Prediction: 1) Brazil, 2) Croatia, 3) Australia, 4) Japan. Brazil in first place is a no-brainer, though Croatia should provide a worthy opponent. The Croatians will use their physicality to overpower Japan and get by Australia. Aussie's put up a fight, but there's no miracle run for Hiddink this time.
History: There's no denying that the Brazilians are the most successful team in World Cup history. They have brought home five titles in total (1958, 62, 70, 94, 2002) and are the defending champions. They have appeared in the final each of the last three tournaments, their only loss coming to France in 1998. You have to go all the way back to 1966 to find the last time they were eliminated in the group stage, and they are the only nation to have appeared in every World Cup ever played. Croatia burst onto the scene with a surprising third place finish in 1998, but were knocked out in the group stage four years ago. Australia's only other trip to the World Cup was in 1974, where they failed to score a goal. Like Croatia, Japan has only appeared in the last two tournaments. They made it to the second round at home in 2002.
Brazil: Once again Brazil is the pre-tournament favorite, and with good reason. The Brazilians have no weaknesses at any position. The defense is experienced and as steady as it goes with all-time greats Cafu and Roberto Carlos who will be complimented by Bayern Munich's star defender Lucio. Reliable Dida will keep net behind them. The midfield will be anchored defensively by Emerson and will provide offense in the form of Ronaldinho, who might be the best player in the world right now. Brazil plays an attacking style, so Ronaldo and Adriano should score buckets of goals up front. Three scores would make Ronaldo the all-time leading scoring at the World Cup. It has been suggested that this squad could be even better than the one that was victorious in 2002, so Brazil fully expects to be playing in the final on July 9.
Croatia: The Croatians come to Germany full of confidence after an excellent qualifying campaign. They have never been intimidated by more glorified opponents, and will not back down even against tournament favorites Brazil. The team is built around their big, stingy defenders, most noteably Robert Kovac and the imposing Igor Tudor. Their goaltending is not spectacular, but the back line should keep quality scoring chances to a minimum. Darijo Srna will provide goalscoring from the midfield, which also features veteran Niko Kovac. Rangers forward Dado Prso has not been up to his usual standard lately, but is a certain starter. He'll need to provide some offense, but Croatia plays defensively, so that should take some of the pressure off. Expectations are high after two disappointing results at World Cup 2002 and Euro 2004.
Australia: The "Socceroos" are back in the World Cup for the first time in 32 years after edging out Uruguay for the final berth in the tournament. They come in as a relative unknown, so it is tough to know what to expect. Most of the Aussie players play in European leagues, and will be coached by Dutchman Guus Hiddink who's teams have made it to the semi-finals in both 1998 and 2002. Goaltending will not be a problem with Mark Schwarzer, but after Craig Moore, who has been injured recently the defense is thin in the middle, though stronger on the wings. The midfield is solid with Vince Grella and Marco Bresciano, who can score goals. Australia's most well known players will play a forward, they beeing Liverpool striker Harry Kewell and fellow Premiership players Tim Cahill and Mark Viduka. Coach Hiddink has shown he can get more than expected out of his teams, but this will be his toughest test.
Japan: Japan comes to Germany having won three of the last four Asian Cups, so they have experienced succes on the international stage. In 2002 they made it to the round of 16, though they drew a weak group and were the home team. Nonetheless, it is expected that Brazilian coach Zico will be able to take the team back to the knock-out stage, but they are in tough against Brazil and Croatia. The strong point of Japan's entry is in the midfield. Celtic's Shunsuke Nakamura will be joined by Hidetoshi Nakata and their performances will be crucial to Japan's success. Goaltending and defense are solid if unspectacular, but the Japanese's real problem will be scoring goals. Thier top two forwards, Tatsuhiko Kubo and Atsushi Yanagisawa, have both been injured and there status remains questionable. Japan needs a strong showing to continue to build off a decade of success.
Match to Watch: Brazil v Croatia, June 13. The two group favorites square off in each team's first match. How Croatia performs could be an indicator of how good of a tournament they will have.
Prediction: 1) Brazil, 2) Croatia, 3) Australia, 4) Japan. Brazil in first place is a no-brainer, though Croatia should provide a worthy opponent. The Croatians will use their physicality to overpower Japan and get by Australia. Aussie's put up a fight, but there's no miracle run for Hiddink this time.
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