So, all the play off matches have been played and with the exception of Russia somehow all the big European names will be at the 2010 World Cup Finals. Isn t seeding a wonderful thing?
But come the summer of 2010, there s only one thing that matters: lifting the World Cup trophy. And, I know, it s very early and I m sticking my neck out, but here are the real challengers for the 2010 World Cup Finals.
1: Spain Anyone who has seen Spain play in the last couple of years can t help but be impressed at their slick, passing football and cutting edge. They retain the ball better than any other side in world football and have a solidity that previous golden generations of Spain players lacked.
If David Villa, Fernando Torres, Iniesta and Xavi are all fit, they are going to be hard to beat.
2: Brazil However, Brazil are one of the very few teams that have a realistic chance of beating Spain. I don t know if you saw their friendly match against England, you will have noted that not only are they skillful footballers, but they re tough too. Unafraid of tackling or being tackled is a pre requisite for a successful footballing side.
Even better, Brazil also have great strength in depth so a few injuries are not going to derail them over the length of the tournament.
While Holland certainly have some silky skills and Germany will batter their way through the competition as usual, it really is hard to see past the top two teams in the world for the potential winners of the South Africa World Cup Finals.
However, there is always one team that makes a surprise charge to the Semi Finals. A lot of people s picks for this team is the Ivory Coast. And they definitely have some great players who are well known both in England and across the world : Didier Drogba, Yaya and Kolo Toure, even Didier Zokora and Salomon Kalou, to name but five.
These are big names, but if you saw what Egypt did to them in the last African Cup of Nations, you ll know that big name players don t necessarily make a big team. Ivory Coast have something of a soft centre and I don t believe they are going to do as well as a lot of pundits in the media are suggesting.
My pick for the surprise semi finalist berth has to go to Cameroon. They are higher in the FIFA World Rankings than Ivory Coast and they have a genuinely world class striker in the form of Samuel Eto o, plus in Carlos Kameni a top class goalkeeper.
While the rest of the squad is made up of lesser lights from top divisions around Europe, you ll be surprised at how many names you recognise. I think Cameroon have been underperforming for years and will have something to prove at the 2010 World Cup Finals. So watch out for the Indomitable Lions!
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