Cup Games Go Mostly As Planned
GERMANS DAZZLE; ENGLAND AND PORTUGAL SAVE THEMSELVES; AUSSIES EXCITE
GROUP A>>>California Boy Juergen Klinsmann is suddenly a tactical genius. Germany may have played the most attractive style of any team through the first round of games, but unless that style can be switch for a more defensive stance later, we may see the Germans bowing out early in their own tournament. Is Ecuador for real? I don't think so. Their win over Poland may have been due more to an appalling effort by the Poles.
GROUP B>>>The English and Swedes are up in arms, but for different reasons. The Brits looked solid, if not, unexciting but got the three points. What's the problem? I'm tired of hearing about the English players wilting in the heat of Korea in 2002 and Sunday afternoon in Germany. The Swedes looked like an All-Star team playing as individuals. Henrik Larsson had some blistering shots on goal, but otherwise, the rest of the offense looked disorganized. It looks like Sweden's poor pre-cup results were a warning for bad things to come. T&T's goalie, Shaka Hislop may have played the most inspired football of anyone thus far. Can he do it again against England? Probably not. Their adrenaline should come back to CONCACAF levels by the weekend.
GROUP C>>>So much for the Ivory Coast. Argentina and the Netherlands look like the class of this group. Argentina played very well, but the Ivory Coast was overrated
GROUP D>>>Portugal's performance was similar to England's. They played just well enough to win, but neither Paraguay or Angola deserved a result. They simply saved their energy against a minnow. After Pauleta scored in the fourth minute, that was enough and Angola never put any fear into the Portuguese. Luis Figo looked like he shaved five years off his age. If Figo plays with such vigor and pace later in the tournament it will bode well for a successful cup. Mexico had a few problems early against a sturdy Iran team, but eventually chiseled away for a strong win. These are clearly the class of this group and their final match against each other may not mean much.
GROUP E>>>It's back to 1998 for Americans. Disorganized and pointing fingers. It was their worst Cup loss since losing 5-1 to Czechoslovakia in 1990. I thought our football had grown since those days? Czech manager, Karel Bruckner, faked out Arena and the media with his insistence that a bunch of their stars were nursing injuries. Striker Jan Koller looks like the only true injured Czech. How many times do the Italian strikers have to, after missing a scoring opportunity, raise their eyes to sky and pray in anguish as if they just shredded a $50 million lottery ticket? It gets a little over dramatic after the 30th minute.
GROUP F>>>The Australia/Japan was the most exciting match thus far. The Aussies rallied late in dramatic fashion, but it was the electric atmosphere at the stadium that caught my attention. These guys are for real and will advance more on guile and fortitude than talent, but that's alright. Croatia's tight defense may well be the blueprint for defending against Brazil. Everyone is gunning for the champs and a crack was revealed. This group is a joke for the Brazilians but a possible knockout round opponent like the Czech Republic or Switzerland might be risky.
GROUP G>>>My only dead-on prediction came to fruition in this group. France's scoreless draw against Switzerland is an ominous sign. France hasn't scored since winning the thing in '98 and the Swiss played, by far, the most organized and taut defense in this World Cup. Togo's early goal against Korea looked like a marvelous storyline in the making. An AWOL coach, grumbling players and a first-time and undeserving Cup participant, but the Koreans came on strong in the second half and actually showed signs of the 2002 semifinalists that many look back and scoff at.
GROUP H>>>Were those really the underachieving Spaniards who thrashed Ukraine or some cruel hoax? Of all the teams through one game of group play it was Spain who had the look of brilliance and fun on the pitch, not the Brazilians. What the win showed, most of all, was that Spain has a wide-array of capable strikers that could cause others fits.
GROUP A>>>California Boy Juergen Klinsmann is suddenly a tactical genius. Germany may have played the most attractive style of any team through the first round of games, but unless that style can be switch for a more defensive stance later, we may see the Germans bowing out early in their own tournament. Is Ecuador for real? I don't think so. Their win over Poland may have been due more to an appalling effort by the Poles.
GROUP B>>>The English and Swedes are up in arms, but for different reasons. The Brits looked solid, if not, unexciting but got the three points. What's the problem? I'm tired of hearing about the English players wilting in the heat of Korea in 2002 and Sunday afternoon in Germany. The Swedes looked like an All-Star team playing as individuals. Henrik Larsson had some blistering shots on goal, but otherwise, the rest of the offense looked disorganized. It looks like Sweden's poor pre-cup results were a warning for bad things to come. T&T's goalie, Shaka Hislop may have played the most inspired football of anyone thus far. Can he do it again against England? Probably not. Their adrenaline should come back to CONCACAF levels by the weekend.
GROUP C>>>So much for the Ivory Coast. Argentina and the Netherlands look like the class of this group. Argentina played very well, but the Ivory Coast was overrated
GROUP D>>>Portugal's performance was similar to England's. They played just well enough to win, but neither Paraguay or Angola deserved a result. They simply saved their energy against a minnow. After Pauleta scored in the fourth minute, that was enough and Angola never put any fear into the Portuguese. Luis Figo looked like he shaved five years off his age. If Figo plays with such vigor and pace later in the tournament it will bode well for a successful cup. Mexico had a few problems early against a sturdy Iran team, but eventually chiseled away for a strong win. These are clearly the class of this group and their final match against each other may not mean much.
GROUP E>>>It's back to 1998 for Americans. Disorganized and pointing fingers. It was their worst Cup loss since losing 5-1 to Czechoslovakia in 1990. I thought our football had grown since those days? Czech manager, Karel Bruckner, faked out Arena and the media with his insistence that a bunch of their stars were nursing injuries. Striker Jan Koller looks like the only true injured Czech. How many times do the Italian strikers have to, after missing a scoring opportunity, raise their eyes to sky and pray in anguish as if they just shredded a $50 million lottery ticket? It gets a little over dramatic after the 30th minute.
GROUP F>>>The Australia/Japan was the most exciting match thus far. The Aussies rallied late in dramatic fashion, but it was the electric atmosphere at the stadium that caught my attention. These guys are for real and will advance more on guile and fortitude than talent, but that's alright. Croatia's tight defense may well be the blueprint for defending against Brazil. Everyone is gunning for the champs and a crack was revealed. This group is a joke for the Brazilians but a possible knockout round opponent like the Czech Republic or Switzerland might be risky.
GROUP G>>>My only dead-on prediction came to fruition in this group. France's scoreless draw against Switzerland is an ominous sign. France hasn't scored since winning the thing in '98 and the Swiss played, by far, the most organized and taut defense in this World Cup. Togo's early goal against Korea looked like a marvelous storyline in the making. An AWOL coach, grumbling players and a first-time and undeserving Cup participant, but the Koreans came on strong in the second half and actually showed signs of the 2002 semifinalists that many look back and scoff at.
GROUP H>>>Were those really the underachieving Spaniards who thrashed Ukraine or some cruel hoax? Of all the teams through one game of group play it was Spain who had the look of brilliance and fun on the pitch, not the Brazilians. What the win showed, most of all, was that Spain has a wide-array of capable strikers that could cause others fits.
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Monday, February 05, 2007 5:50:00 AM