World Cup Previews: Group B
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
Group B
Argentina should have a straight-forward passage into the second round, but Diego Maradona’s infuriating inconsistencies will make any progression further than that very interesting watch.
Of course, nobody would be surprised if it’s Messi and co celebrating in Soccer City on July 11th. Nevertheless, Maradona’s uber stubborn demeanour could end up costing them dearly.
The omission of Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti – the key to Inter Milan’s Champions League campaign – from the squad means there is a severe lack of talent in the midfield.
Granted, both players are getting on a bit but their experience would be invaluable in South Africa.
Cambiasso was, for some utterly obscure reason, not part of ‘God’s’ plans from the outset – despite over 100 players earning caps in a tumultuous time for the Boca legend.
Zanetti, meanwhile, is the Argentineans most capped player of all-time and despite being 36, he played in 16 of their 18 qualification games.
If Argentina are to progress, it will be down to the sublime capabilities of their attackers. Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and another Inter star, Diego Milito, will all have parts to play if they will make real progression. And that’s not to mention the likes of Aguero and Higuain.
Still, there are also worries over their defence – Demichelis, Otamendi and Heinze don’t exactly inspire confidence.
The battle for second place should be the real talking point of this group. Nigeria, South Korea and Greece all have former in their recent outings, with the latter surprising everybody back in 2004.
They will probably find it difficult against a strong Nigerian side which sailed through a lengthy qualifying campaign unbeaten – conceding only five goals in the process, winning nine of twelve games.
South Korea, despite their heroics in 2002 could struggle to come out of the group. They also had a rampant qualifying campaign – unbeaten in 14 games, conceding just seven times. But, and this is a big but, they will rely too heavily on Park Ji-Sung to lead them due to severe lack of firepower up front.
The Red Devils will certainly be difficult to break down but in the cut and thrust of the World Cup that isn’t good enough – expect them to struggle in the group, with Nigeria pipping Greece to the post for second place.
Prediction:
Argentina
Nigeria
Greece
South Korea
Argentina should have a straight-forward passage into the second round, but Diego Maradona’s infuriating inconsistencies will make any progression further than that very interesting watch.
Of course, nobody would be surprised if it’s Messi and co celebrating in Soccer City on July 11th. Nevertheless, Maradona’s uber stubborn demeanour could end up costing them dearly.
The omission of Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti – the key to Inter Milan’s Champions League campaign – from the squad means there is a severe lack of talent in the midfield.
Granted, both players are getting on a bit but their experience would be invaluable in South Africa.
Cambiasso was, for some utterly obscure reason, not part of ‘God’s’ plans from the outset – despite over 100 players earning caps in a tumultuous time for the Boca legend.
Zanetti, meanwhile, is the Argentineans most capped player of all-time and despite being 36, he played in 16 of their 18 qualification games.
If Argentina are to progress, it will be down to the sublime capabilities of their attackers. Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and another Inter star, Diego Milito, will all have parts to play if they will make real progression. And that’s not to mention the likes of Aguero and Higuain.
Still, there are also worries over their defence – Demichelis, Otamendi and Heinze don’t exactly inspire confidence.
The battle for second place should be the real talking point of this group. Nigeria, South Korea and Greece all have former in their recent outings, with the latter surprising everybody back in 2004.
They will probably find it difficult against a strong Nigerian side which sailed through a lengthy qualifying campaign unbeaten – conceding only five goals in the process, winning nine of twelve games.
South Korea, despite their heroics in 2002 could struggle to come out of the group. They also had a rampant qualifying campaign – unbeaten in 14 games, conceding just seven times. But, and this is a big but, they will rely too heavily on Park Ji-Sung to lead them due to severe lack of firepower up front.
The Red Devils will certainly be difficult to break down but in the cut and thrust of the World Cup that isn’t good enough – expect them to struggle in the group, with Nigeria pipping Greece to the post for second place.
Prediction:
Argentina
Nigeria
Greece
South Korea
About Alan Smith
Alan Smith works as a sub-editor for the Guardian newspaper in London. Originally from Cork, he freelances for several other newspapers and websites. Follow him on twitter @alansmith90. View Full Profile