Source: FOOTYMAD
Cloggy's World Cup Preview - Group C
Group C is up next (predictable thing the alphabet). Here we find the two nations who had the leading roles in the film 'The Patriot' together with Algeria and Slovenia. A group the usurpers, pardon me, good old England that is, are strong favorites in. England *Nickname: The Three Lions *FIFA Ranking: 8th *Manager: Fabio Capello (Italian) *One to look out for: (Yes, I'm still going to pick one, even though none of the players are unknown quantities for you lot) James Milner. The Aston Villa midfielder had a terrific season with the claret and blue outfit, in which he largely played as a central midfielder. Though originally a winger, Milner showed great versatility, stamina and technique in his new found role as midfield marauder at Villa. Even though it is probably unlikely he'll be a starter for Capello's team, the Yorkshire man has plenty to offer England when one of the 'regular' midfielders is not up to it. One of his biggest pluses is the fact he's almost perfectly two footed, allowing him to play on either wing and, as said before, as a box to box central midfielder. One for the future definitely! *Team's pros: 1. One of the best managers in the world, with a good motivator as his assistant. 2. Plenty of world class players who can decide a match, such as Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard etc. 3. An unbeaten qualification series will have the English in high spirits (no nothing 'Dutch' meant by that!) *Team's cons: 1. Seem to be too dependable on the form of the above mentioned three players. 2. Defensively ,and especially now without Rio Ferdinand, they are certainly not as good as going forward. 3. A lot of pressure is on them as many pundits, English and foreign people seem to think England will win the World Cup. Will they be able to cope with the pressure? *Cloggy's verdict: Well what is there still to be said about your lot? They all grace arguably the best league of the world, there are some top draw players in your squad and Fabio Capello has a habit of creating winning teams. I reckon you can get to at least the quarter finals and in theory win the world cup. Then again, like with my country, often people see England as one of the prime candidates to win the world cup. For various reasons you haven't been able to add another to your cabinet since West Ham, I mean the boys from '66 won it through a goal that shouldn't have been a goal at all (sorry folks). The most important thing for you is to keep your nerve and keep Rooney fit and on the pitch (not get himself sent off, I mean by that) Though Ferdinand's absence will be a blow to you, you've able replacements in that area so it might not be as bad as it seems. The goalkeeper area is the only real problem area for me (sorry Greeno) cause none of them have played for instance in the CL. Still, you've more than enough to completely route this group and finish 1st, which is where I predict England to finish. USA *Nickname: Take your pick from Team USA, The Yanks or The Stars and Stripes. *FIFA Ranking: 14 th *Manager: Bob Bradley *One to look out for: Jonathan Spector....'s buddy Michael Bradley!(bet I had you all fooled there for a second)Ironically also the son of manager Bob Bradley, but not selected because of this. Bradley is a glimmer of hope in the American midfield and can be compared to what Gerrard is to England's midfield. Despite being only 22 the Borussia Monchengladbach man is a key figure for the USA. With his incisive runs from the edge of his own area to the opponents, passing technique and enthusiasm he really is the American Eagle of all the chickens in the Yanks nest. *Team's pros: 1. Will fight till the very end in typical American style. 2. Dangerous counterattacking team with Donovan's, Bradley's, Beasley's, Dempsey's and Altidore's pace. 3. Thrive in the underdog role, as it seems to get the best out of the Americans. *Team's cons: 1. Fullbacks are defensively very shaky (sorry Johnny Specs) 2. Midfield is too congregated, no real width to it. 3. Good team, but no outstanding players in it to take them to the next level. *Cloggy's verdict: They'll make it tough for any opponent, not because of their quality but because they are Americans: they will fight for every blade of grass there is, which might not make them win the award for prettiest football in the World Cup but it will certainly make them hard as nail. I see the USA as dead certs favorite for the second spot. Though, if I were them, I'd be cautious of Slovenia. The USA will probably need to get 3 points against the Slovenians in their second game (I'm assuming they will lose against England and Slovenia winning their game against Algeria) which means they need to attack the Slovenians instead of sitting back and soaking up the pressure. This is to the advantage of the Slovenians whose game plan is to counter attack the opposition and to use the wings especially. But if all goes to plan, America should win second spot in this group, though it won't be easy. Slovenia *Nickname: Zmajceki (Dragons) *FIFA Ranking: 25th *Manager: Matjas Kek *One to look out for: Young striker Tim Matavz definitely springs to my mind. The striker plies his trade for Dutch outfit FC Groningen and was their top scorer last season scoring 14 goals in 34 games. Matavz has a bit of everything about him, he can head well, shoot with both feet and has the quality to get past a defender with his trickery. I'd say he's even good enough to play for West Ham, but then again I said the same about Jiminez so what do I know? In Slovenia's 4-4-2, the 21 year old will most likely start on the bench. *Team's pros: 1. In typical former Soviet Union style: a band of brothers, no place for egos in this team. 2. Great at set pieces. 3. Love to use the wings for counter attacking. *Team's cons: 1. Depend a lot on striker Novakovic. 2. No players left from the last time they played in a WC, inexperienced side therefore. 3. A band of brothers, but not a vocal leader in the team. *Cloggy's verdict: Do not underestimate this team, the Russians did and it cost them dearly. With their goalkeeper Samir Handanovic is great form (rated as one of the best goalkeepers in the Serie A) and a rugged, reliable defense in front of him the Slovenians won't concede many goals. Upfront, they have a pretty prolific striker in Milivoje Novakovic who has been a talisman for both club (FC Cologne) and country. The 6 foot 4 striker shows a lot of similarities with Peter Crouch in the way he plays and will be one of their main threats going forward. The bonus for Slovenia is that they play their first two games against their direct competitors Algeria and the USA. I feel they will win against Algeria but after that, against USA, it all comes down to how the Americans will approach this game and how the Slovenians will. If the Slovenians sit back and try to hit them on the counter they have a good chance of doing the Yanks. Slovenia are masters at counter attacking, so the USA have to be very weary of that. There's just one big downer to the game plan of the Slovenians; when things get tough, they seem to lack some sort of leader who can pick the team up. For years Slovenia had a profound leader in the legendary Zlatko Zahovic but after his retirement in 2004, the national team withered. They do have a cohesive group, but I fear their introvert nature will be their biggest enemy during this World Cup and therefore I can't see them progressing. Algeria *Nickname: Les Fennecs (The Desert Foxes) *FIFA Ranking: 30th *Manager: Rabah Saadane *One to look out for: Vice-captain Karim Ziani. The 27 year-old plays for Steve McClaren's Wolfsburg and is the creative outlet for the north-African side. Small as he is, Ziani is tricky crafty player who can both be used as a attacking midfielder or as a left winger. A lot will depend on the shoulders of the 1.69 meters tall player to help his country progress. Good at delivering free kicks and corners as well, Ziani played a big part in his country qualifying for the World Cup as he was one of the star performers in the sudden death match versus Egypt. He's also one of the more experienced players in the squad, having played European football with Marseille, Sochaux and Wolfsburg. *Team's pros: 1. A side blessed with pace. 2. The unknown quantity in this group could cause an upset if other teams underestimate them too much. 3. Gathering from all the media reports, very eager and determined to show the world what they are capable of. They won't be in South Africa just to make up the numbers. *Team's cons: 1. If only they had the French Algerian players in their team, such as Real Madrid's Benzema and Marseille's Ben Arfa. The squad lacks overall quality to compete. 2. They have a few hotheads in this team, which showed against Egypt. 3. Little to know experience in playing at this level. *Cloggy's verdict: Sorry Algerians, I cannot see your side competing in this group. On paper, one might say they can challenge for second place, but unlike the USA and Slovenia they aren’t all that disciplined. Whereas the two other sides can be patient and soak up a bit of pressure, Algeria cannot. It would have been perhaps different for them if they hadn't lost the likes of Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa to the French national team. Upfront they don't have enough to hurt the others as well. Stage exit for Algeria after 3 games.
