Friday, June 18th, 2010
French fans were left hoping for a bit more va-va-voom from Anelka et al following the first round bore-draw
Two games on…
11th June
South Africa 1 – 1 Mexico
France 0 – 0 Uruguay
17th June
South Africa 0 – 3 Uruguay
France 0 – 2 Mexico
Having witnessed an uninspiring first round of matches, most notably accompanied by plentiful criticism of the French, fans were much looking forward to a more direct, purposeful second set of fixtures. Indeed we saw this from Uruguay and Mexico, who brought steel to add to their South American flair and in doing so produced two accomplished displays which put them in pole position to qualify. With the two sides now facing off against each other in a game where the pressure is on neither to win, a draw would see France fail to progress in a stunning anti-climax. South Africa will sense that an urgent performance could see them end with a victory. (more…)
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Thursday, June 10th, 2010
South Africa – Entering the tournament as the lowest-ever ranked host nation, little is expected of Bafana Bafana and we can see why. Uninspiring in failing to qualify for the African Nations Cup, they missed their chance to test themselves in readiness for the big stage. Although unbeaten in seven months, they ambled to draws against Jamaica and Namibia, before beating Jamaica 2-0 in April. Beyond Steven Pienaar, their only top-level player, there is little quality in the side. Benni McCarthy, well known to English fans, was dropped from the final squad amid concerns over his form and weight. With the exception of captain Aaron Mokoena and Kagiso Dikgacoi of Fulham – hardly a regular – the squad lacks experience in competitive European Leagues, with a few members plying their trade in Greece and Germany having been omitted. World Cup-winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has called on a large group of domestic-based players who we can know little about. Nevertheless, he has been unbeaten in 11 games, upon being named coach and we can be sure to expect that the strong team spirit that has been fostered will do their nation proud. (more…)
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Tags: Caceres, Cavani, Lodeiro, pienaar, South Africa, Uruguay, World Cup
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Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
France – Where to begin with this most disjointed team of mavericks? Coached by Eugene Levy of American Pie fame (or is that Raymond Domenech?), the French always seem to be there or thereabouts in the final reckoning.
More questions have been realised since Lassana Diarra was ruled out – they could probably have replaced this Claude Makelele lookalike with, well… Claude Makelele. No one would have been the wiser. However, a re-jig has seen Florent Malouda introduced into a three-man central midfield alongside the outstanding Yoann Gourcuff, with anchorman Jeremy Toulalan holding it together. Clearly it can be argued that this system restricts Gourcuff, an attacking midfielder by nature, by placing too much defensive responsibility on him. With Malouda the other forward-thinking player in the three, the more harmonious trio of defensive Toulalan, creator Gourcuff and multi-tasking dynamo Diarra it seems, will be missed. (more…)
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Tags: Aguirre, Anelka, Domenech, France, Gourcuff, Group A, Hernandez, Lloris, Marquez, Mexico, Ribery, Vela
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