johns WC picks....
ok so, im going to do groups first, then the knockout rounds. get ready, this is gonna be long.
Group A. Mexico/france/south africa/uruguay
Mexico and France advance, France finishing second. Im actually hesitant to say France makes it out. So many reasons. 1-they qualified based on a bad call on a handball. had that call not erroneously been made, france would not have made the trip. 2-Domenech isnt really a coach. he picks the squad based on player's astrological signs (fact) and he is already stepping down after this world cup. hes a lame duck, and he never adjusts right. 3-the sex scandal. frances best player, ribery, and a few others are under investigation for having sex with an underage prostitute, the same underage prostitute. They just havent looked good in the warm up matches either. Mexico has a load of a free flowing young players. I think theyre going to be a fun team to watch, and they are due for a deep run in the tournament. I think they advance easily. The kicker in this group is South Africa. If south africa uses its raucus fans to their advantage and pull off draws with mexico and france, they can make it out of the group. the problem is, next to new zealand they are the least talented team in the field. never underestimate the home turf though.
B. argentina/nigeria/s. korea/greece
Argentina and korea advance.
Two weeks ago i would have had nigeria over korea. but the loss of a few players through injury makes it tough for them. s. korea has a solid, disciplined team. they can go deep. argentina, on paper, has the best players at every position. their 3rd and 4th string forwards could start for any other team. their talent is that deep. whats holding them back? their coach, the legendary player maradona. if he tries to make adjustments, the argies will lose. if he lets them play as they want to, theyll make a run to the finals. we'll see what happens. greece play the most boring football on the planet. they backpass, they dont make runs. its a total snoozefest. be that as it may, they still won euro 2004 with that style 0f paly. i dont see anything miraculous like that happening this time though, but then again no one did in 2004.
C. england/us/algeria/slovenia
England/us advance.
England vs US is jsut a great matchup. I seriously think we can beat them. england's biggest strength is their media, which is basically the opinion of the english-speaking soccer world. they have portrayed their team as invincible. they certainly are not. england is shit at the WC, because much of the focus turns to the WAGS (the wives and girlfriends) of the players. the victoria beckham's (she is apparently still coming, though david isnt playing), colleen rooney, etc. they always fall short. and they are rife with injury problems. I think we beat them. What are our problems? I think we have too many players of equal skill at the same positions. when thats the case, it creates a dilemma for the coaches in finding out which are the preferred players. this is not what you want. you want options, yes, but you dont want 5 of the same jigsaw puzzle pieces when youre trying to put it together. you want your starting 11 to have lots of time playing together so they develop chemistry and the like. im not sure the US has that, not yet at least. algeria and slovenia shouldnt put up much of a fight at all. its a good group for us to advance out of.
D. germany/australia/serbia/ghana.
serbia/australia go through
This one is tough. germany hasnt been good of late. australia isnt too great. serbia has some good pieces and ghana has just lost their star, michael essien. Im going to go on a limb and say germany doesnt make it out. i just have that feeling. serbia can play smart. and ghana is athletic.
E. netherlands/denmark/cameroon/japan
netherlands/cameroon
Netherlands could have won every world cup since the 1960s. Netherlands, have never won a world cup. they play total football. essentially, every player is capable of playing any position. that allows you to easily attack and easily defend. its great to watch. unfortunately, the teams physical chemistry is hindered my their mental chemistry. they are notorious for bickering at each other. i guess its the dutch mentality. this factor has always held them back. theyll make it out fine though. cameroon is pretty solid. theyll make it out ok i think. denmark doesnt have much and neither does japan.
F. italy/paraguay/new zealand/slovakia.
italy/paraguay
i hate the slovaks so ill never give them anything. new zealand, are just bad. paraguay is mediocre. and italy is fielding an aged team. too aged, in my opinion. they left some key players at home that would have helped them out. this group is the weakest.
G. Brazil/Nkorea/ivory coast/portugal
Brazil/ivory coast
I love ivory coast. by far my favorite team to watch. they can take it to the finals i think, that is if drogba plays. drogba just broke his arm and we dont know what shape hes goign to be in. if he plays, theyre going to be great. without him, i dunno. brazil isnt playing free flowing stuff like they used to. they look like a real team now. i think this helps them. nkorea are hilarious. they tried to sneak their best player on to the team by hiding him on the roster as a goalkeeper. one problem, goalkeepers cant be substituted for outfield players, so this guy is goign to be stuck on the bench for the entire tournament. nice one. portugal. hmm. should be great. but they just arent. ivory coast vs portugal is going to be a thriller. everything rides on that game.
H. spain/switzerland/honduras/chile
Spain/chile.
Spain is great. should win the thing. just a great team to watch. they too though, havent looked strong in the tune ups. we'll see who shows up. chile arent a bad team. not great though. switzerland and honduras arent much.