Is there a more hotly anticipated group in the World Cup than Group G?
Is five time champion Brazil headed for trophy number six?
Which Portugal will show up? The one that has played up to snuff in the latest friendlies or the one that struggled mightily in qualifying?
Is Didier Drogba healthy enough to lead a charge for the Ivory Coast?
And just what exactly is North Korea bringing to the table?
What’s a little talk amongst friends, then? Knowing your stuff can make you look a little bit brighter amongst your peers and this handy-dandy list of people and information will make you the go-to guru of your local World Cup group.
Here’s some things you’ll need to know before June 15th.
Brazil
The favorite of most betting men, Brazil features a team that could play the daylights out of the ball if it weren’t for the fact that manager Dunga requires defense to be played on a regular basis, not just when they feel like it. This has not helped their image amongst the people but, then again, Dunga doesn’t give a damn, as long as it leads to star number six above the Brazilian Federation crest.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that much of their defensive contingent just happens to play for the best club teams in the world, so don’t feel sorry for A Seleção in that regard. With such a versatile roster that can attack when they feel like and defend in numbers, they will be a terrifically hard out for any team, so many will be happy to play for draws and penalties.
Players to Know
The Skipper: Lucio
The imposing central defender and core of the defense is coming off a treble winning season at the heart of the Inter Milan defense, one that should feel familiar with Julio Cesar to his back and Maicon to his right. Difficult to round with pace or combat in the air, the defender is wont to step in front and cut off passes before they reach their intended target which occasionally leaves him exposed, perhaps the only flaw to his name. He has good in-game pace that makes him very difficult to escape from on breakaway situations.
The Man: Kaka
A rather indifferent and injury plagued term at Real Madrid has many worried about the form of the heart of operations for Brazil. With a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-2-2 being employed, Kaka is more often than not the distributor and creator-in-chief when not on the break. If he struggles at any point, Brazil may be forced to depend heavily on the counterattack, which, against some teams, will spell disaster.
Others to Watch: Luis Fabiano/Nilmar, Felipe Melo/Gilberto Silva, Juan
The forward duo of Fabiano and Nilmar is a potent combo to have leading the line, assuming that both are employed at the same time. Depending on the alignment, one may be used to start a contest or end it, meaning that there will be points when both will be forced to live off scraps, depending on the level of attack that the opposition offers. Melo and Silva will be the enforcers in front of the backline. While Melo often catches flack, the duo are favorites of Dunga and would only be sacrificed if Brazil should fall behind in the Knockout Rounds. Juan is the less publicized half of the central defensive pairing and is often forgotten in the fold, which is usually not a bad thing as his consistent performances leave little doubt as to the security of the defense.
Portugal
Fourth place finishers in 2006, Portugal returns with massive expectations heaped on their backs and a bulls-eye hung squarely around their necks in this group. Blessed with a slew of attacking talent, much of the debate about this team swirled about their less than stellar qualification and head coach Carlos Queiroz, who, like Dunga, has worried more about the defense than perhaps the flair of the squad, of which there is certainly no short supply.
While Nani has been ruled out with a collarbone injury, the rest of the Selecção das Quinas is ready to try and break out of a group that looks a safe bet to be more fiercely contested than their 2006 version. Whether or not they can match wits and play with the other two big guns in this group should be well worth watching this group above several others.
Players to Know
The Skipper and the Man: Christiano Ronaldo
Having been usurped by Lionel Messi as the consensus “best player in the world,” Ronaldo is looking to make a statement in South Africa by bringing Portugal out of a vicious group. With pace, guile, skill and looks that have made many a man and woman swoon, the Real Madrid man pretty much can do everything in the attack and will be expected to show everyone how to handle the Jabulani ball in dead ball situations. With Nani missing, the already overwhelming attention will grow that much stronger to Ronaldo’s side, a challenge the skipper will be plenty used to but will need to beat on the big stage in order to propel the team through.
Others to Watch: Pepe, Liedson/Hugo Almeida, Ricardo Carvalho, Deco
Pepe, normally a central defender, has made the most of his switch to defensive midfielder in Queiroz’s 4-5-1 scheme, but has been out since December with a knee injury. While selected, if he is not up to snuff there is a massive hole in the Portugal midfield that no one else in the squad can adequately fill, so his health is a great concern. Liedson and Almeida have made Portugal viable up front by being out and out forwards, something that has been lacking since Pauleta announced his retirement from international football. While Liedson is a workhorse type player, Almeida provides a valuable target-man backup in case there is a need for (dare it be said) more attacking impetus. Carvalho, much like the rest of the backline, is starting to hit the twilight section of their careers and injury has done nothing to help him lately. A healthy Carvalho is still very good but will be tested often by the rest of the attacking forces in the group. Whether Deco has the juice to go through another World Cup might be in question, as is his Chelsea form, but when he’s on, he can be a inch-perfect passed with the ability to drive right at defenders, putting them under pressure to commit themselves and free up other attackers whom are often the recipients of well placed passes from the midfielder.
Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Talk about an outfit that has gotten zero breaks in their two World Cup appearances. In 2006, the Elephants were paired up with Argentina, the Netherlands and Serbia & Montenegro in that tournament’s “Group of Death” and only managed to snag Brazil and Portugal in this go round. They will need a better showing than in 2006 if they want any realistic chance of escaping into the Knockout Round.
That’s not to say that they don’t have a couple of things going for them. As time has gone on, the country has sent more players into Europe to ply their trade and the experience of this squad is now greater than that of 2006. Much now depends on the health of the skipper and whether or not Sven Goran Eriksson can get this team on his tactical game page.
Players to Know
The Skipper and the Man: Didier Drogba
When Drogba went down in the friendly against Japan with his broken arm, the collective spirit of the Ivory Coast must have sunk to rock bottom. Fortunately, the striker is fit enough to go in the World Cup and, as such, the chances of the squad went from nonexistent to very good again. Scarily powerful for a forward, if a bit overdramatic at times, Drogba can score from all sorts of angles and situations and terrifies defenses on a consistent basis. Should Drogba be unplayable, the Elephants will terrify everyone in their path.
Others to Watch: Kolo/Yaya Toure, Gervinho, Didier Zakora, Boubacar Barry
The brothers Toure have plenty of big time European experience under their belts and have been major players on big teams for some time now. While both might not have had the greatest seasons in the world last year, their collective play from the defensive and defensive midfield side will aid the Elephants in their quest to shut down the attacking squads in this group. Gervinho quietly had a very good season at Lille and is certainly not to be dismissed in the attacking pecking order. In a three forward set, he could move out to the opposite side of Salomon Kalou to provide width and support for Drogba. Zakora is a box to box midfielder that will partner up with Yaya in the center of the park to make life difficult for anyone going Route One against the Ivory Coast. Perhaps the biggest question mark lies in Barry, who has found playing time somewhat hard to come by of late at Lokeren in Belgium. Whether or not he can withstand what is expected at times to be a withering assault from the rest of the group might make or break the Elephant chances in escaping the group.
North Korea
And then, there was the great unknown of the Chollima of North Korea. A team that is vying with New Zealand to be the biggest shock side since their own 1966 stunner against Italy and 3-0 lead against Portugal that same year, one would expect a lot of running to be done by any side with Korea attached to the name, yet running backwards might be their only option for much of the contests.
With a three central defender look, a five man backline is the expected option for the North Koreans to play in with four in the midfield and a very lonely striker looking to feed off of crumbs. They will have probably zero fan support, so they might be an adopted team by the South African fans if they can hang around long enough to put a scare into the big boys of the group.
Players to Watch
The Skipper: Hong Yong-Jo
While he hasn’t had the best of times at FC Rostov in Russia, he has at least played against some World Cup caliber players in the Russian league and will not be quite as overawed as some of his teammates in the group. Playing off the target forward, Hong will be the man for set-pieces and will be looking to add his first goal for North Korea since the 2008 qualifiers for this tournament.
The Man: Jong Tae-Se
With an impressive scoring record to his name, Jong could have been playing for the South or Japan but elected to go with the North and his been a bright spot for the squad. Dubbed the North Korean Wayne Rooney, he has stated that he will show the rest of the group and the world that North Korea will be players in this World Cup. Whether or not that holds any water, Jong will have to be the man to prove that the comparisons to the English hitman are true and probably will need to score a goal or six if North Korea realistically have any shot of getting out of the group.
Others to Watch: Ri Jun-Il/Ri Kwang-Chong/Pak Chol-Jin, Nam Song-Chol, Kim Myong-Won
The Ri/Ri/Pak combo is expected to be the heart of the central defense and will tested game in and game out to whether or not they can stay organized over 90 minutes to deal with the habitual attack of the other three squads. Nam is flexible enough to move around the defense and the left side of the field and will try to move up to support the attack when he’s not back trying to hold off players like Christiano Ronaldo. Kim makes this list only because he’s a forward that will be playing goalkeeper after a botched attempt for more attacking options. While certainly number three on the depth chart, if Kim should ever be called into action, he will be tested in the most unimaginable way possible.
The Matches
June 15th
Ivory Coast v. Portugal
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
10:00 AM EST
Brazil v. North Korea
Ellis Park (Coca Cola Park), Johannesburg
2:30 PM EST
June 20th
Brazil v. Ivory Coast
Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg
2:30 PM EST
June 21st
Portugal v. North Korea
Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
7:30 AM EST
June 25th
North Korea v. Ivory Coast
Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
10:00 AM EST
Portugal v. Brazil
Durban Stadium (Moses Mabhida Stadium), Durban
10:00 AM EST
