World Cup 2010 Prediction Group E
So Group E now, (I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll finish writing up everything by the time the World Cup starts! Should have started earlier) which contains an excellent Netherlands side, built on team-spirit instead of feuding individuals for once and a number of sides who will all believe they can qualify in Denmark, Japan and Cameroon. Expect this to be one of the best groups in the tournament as far as drama and football go.
Behind Spain and Brazil I would probably put the Netherlands as my third-favourites to win the whole competition. Reasons? Well, start with a strong squad, particularly in attack with players such as Robin Van Persie, Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben and Rafael Van der Vaart, then take their qualifying form in which they scored 17 goals in 8 in a group with no easy opponents (of the ilk San Marino or Andorra), look at their last competitive tournament in Euro 2008, in which they played sensational football to make mincemeat out of the highly fancied French and Italians before going out to Russia in dramatic circumstances and then notice the lack of infighting present in the current squad. As if this wasn’t ominous enough, they have won 4 friendlies convincingly this year against good sides in the USA, Mexico, Hungary and Ghana. Reasons why they can’t win? There are question marks over their temperament given recent history where they have looked capable of winning a succession of tournaments only to be foiled. Their loss against Russia in 2008 was an example of this, losing 3-1 having equalised in the last 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in the last World Cup they went out to Portugal in a bad tempered (most cards in a World Cup match ever) match surely brought on by nerves having sailed through qualification in the “Group of Death” and lost 1-0. Before that they lost to host nation Portugal 2-1 in Euro 2004 in the Semis thanks to a wonder goal from Maniche and incidentally didn’t qualify for the World Cup in 2002 after finishing in a group topped by, you guessed it, Portugal. Also, their defence is still not too great; the fact that they still have Giovani Van Bronckhorst, a player deemed not good enough to play for Arsenal a decade ago, in the side at the age of 35 screams out a lack of competition. However, this is largely made up for in the way that they dominate games and have excellent ball-winners in the midfield in the form of Mark Van Bommel and Nigel De Jong. Overall, expect this side to score plenty of goals, dominate games and look as if they can win the tournament, before crashing out unexpectedly in the knock-out stages just when the trophy seems to have their name on it.
Denmark, the first Dutch opponents, surprised the footballing world by coming back having failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008 and knocking out Sweden (almost Portugal) by topping Group A. The all-the-more surprising feature of this side is that not many of the faces from Euro 2004 seem to have moved on. Jon Dahl Tomasson is still playing at 33 now (incidentally he only needs two more goals to become Denmark’s all-time leading scorer), along with Jesper Gronkjaer and Dennis Rommedahl (about whom you can guarantee commentators will say how fast he can sprint 100 metres, I don’t know why, but they always mention it) at 32 and 31 respectively. Even the manager Morten Olsten is still here having been in charge since 2000. Needless, to say, this team will know how to play alongside each other! There are a few young players, in fairness, like Niklas Bendtner of the best club in the world and Simon Kjaer. Anyway, I am rambling, what about their prospects? Expect them to be an all-round solid side with good players in all positions, if no one to set the world alight. They should be an entertaining and hard-working side who are also tactically astute. Don’t expect to see them shift too many goals or one-sided wins. Rather worryingly, their pre-World Cup form seems to have deserted them and they come into the tournament off the back of defeats to South Africa, Australia and Austria. They beat Senegal earlier this year, but the signs are that the Danes face a fight to get out of a competitive group.
I would really like to see Japan do well, but I fear for them at the moment. Takeshi Okada, manager at the World Cup in 1998) seems to have taken them a few steps backwards since taking over 2007 as following an unconvincing qualifying campaign featuring draws at home to Uzbekistan and Qatar they have had a terrible build up to the competition itself, losing four straight games against Serbia, South Korea, England (their best result) and the Ivory Coast following victory against Bahrain in their qualification campaign for the next Asian Cup in a year’s time. Expect Japan to play attacking and attractive football led by brilliant, but off form, playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura, but I worry they may not have enough of a cutting edge or defence stability to escape the group, let alone get to the semis!
Out of all the African sides Cameroon, in my opinion have the best chance of progressing to the next round of this African World Cup. They seem to have all the ingredients to do well with, a semi-decent defence in terms of form rather than personnel covered by Alexandre Song in the midfield and the indomitable pacy captain Samuel Eto’o leading the line (hopefully if his ego isn’t too hurt by Roger Milla’s comments, seems kind of stroppy to me). Under Paul Le Guen, Cameroon transformed from a side looking at elimination from the World Cup in qualifying to the joining the final 32 by winning four straight games scoring 9 goals and conceding 1. They had a disappointing Cup of Nations, going out to champions Egypt, but pushed them further than any other side by taking them to extra time. However, losing to Gabon, drawing with Tunisia and narrowly beating Zambia would have been slightly disappointing for a side of their calibre. Pre-season friendlies have yielded mixed results with an impressive draw against Italy cancelled out by less impressive draws against a talented Slovakian side and defeats against Serbia and Portugal. Expect Cameroon to be an exciting attacking side that takes the game to the opposition, fighting out for qualification with Denmark.
Now for some predictions!
The group kicks off with the Netherlands facing Denmark in an all-European encounter. I expect this to be a tight game that sees the Dutch struggle to break down the Danes. However, I expect them to score at some point, but the height of Bendtner and comparative lack of height in the Dutch defence may yield a goal for the Danes also. Thus, my prediction is a 1-1 draw.
Cameroon face Japan in the next game of the day and this, I believe will yield a victory for the indomitable Lions. I think both teams will struggle with altitude but will both score in an entertaining encounter. However, I think the Cameroon will score more and win 2-1.
The Netherlands face Japan in Durban for the next game and I think this may be a mauling. I think Japan will be too open initially and fall behind then try to chase the game, which could make matters much worse against a quality counter-attacking side of the Dutch’s ilk. I am going to pick the Netherlands to win 4-0.
Cameroon face Denmark in Pretoria next and this may again be a very even encounter. Cameroon will know that a win will see them progress, but the Danes will know that they need at least a draw to stay in with a chance of qualification following the Netherlands’ comprehensive victory. However, I can see Denmark holding Cameroon to a 1-1 draw to leave the last set of matches intriguingly poised.
In the final set of matches, Cameroon face the Dutch with both sides knowing that a win is required to secure progress, whilst Denmark face Japan in Rustenburg requiring a victory to progress. I think that, unfortunately for lovers of African football, the Netherlands will dispatch Cameroon 3-1 in a highly entertaining encounter. Meanwhile, Denmark will seal the misery of already-eliminated Japan by beating them 2-0. Thus, the Netherlands and Danes progress in first and second while Cameroon and Japan are eliminated. Here are the final standings:
- Team Win Draw Loss F A GD Pts
- Netherlands 2 1 0 8 2 6 7
- Denmark 1 2 0 4 2 2 5
- Cameroon 1 1 1 4 5 -1 4
- Japan 0 0 3 1 8 -7 0
Next up Group F!
