Group C Analysis

Group C

England

Well, well, well, the time has come and let's see what England can do. I have had positive and negatives opinions on England in the build up to this tournament. The main plus for me is Capello. He is one of the few elite coaches in world football who has the respect and ability to coach this England team. He knows exactly what he is doing, and this is the first time in a long time that I have confidence in an England team responding to their manager like this. He has them drilled tactically and psychologically, and he is the main reason why I think we will see a stronger performance from England.

The other major positive is Wayne Rooney. I had doubts about his composure and finishing ability since I watched him as a 15-year-old - it is fair to say that he shot that view to pieces this season and has emerged as one of the best players in the world. England finally have a top class player who can make an impact at the very highest level and produce those moments of magic that they have lacked historically.

That optimism has been dampened by the loss of Rio Ferdinand which is a major loss. His mobility, timing and athleticism will be sorely missed - he is the only England defender and few defenders in the world that is completely comfortable and able to defend against forwards one-on-one. Form has not been great this season but I would have expected that he would have raised his game for this tournament. Instead, Dawson is called up, and I would guess that Ledley King will emerge as the partner for John Terry if he can stay fit. I consider it a negative now, unless King can find top form and stay fit for the knockout stages which is a tough ask.

There are plenty of other uncertainties also - the fitness of Gareth Barry, who will partner Rooney up front, what Fabio does with Lampard/Gerrard. Capello has to make some tough but correct calls and have some luck with injuries if they are to go far in this tournament. The starting eleven is pretty strong, but there is not too much else outside of that. He also needs one of the goalkeepers to find some form and consistency, which I would not be banking on too heavily.

With all that in mind, I would expect them to get through the groups reasonably comfortable - even if they have to wait until the last game to seal their route through. Avoiding Germany will be key for them - if they can do so, then a trip to the quarters or semis is possible, but no real change for me this time round even with Capello and Rooney. There will be that one game where they will heroically fall short.

Prediction – Quarters


USA

Whispering it quietly, but I have to admit to being a huge fan of this American team, and I genuinely think they can go far in the competition. There is so much focus on the first match against England but I actually do not think it is so important. I am confident both teams will qualify from this group.

Probably their biggest strength is their unity and attitude. The thing that impresses me most about them is how adept they are at dealing with different scenarios throughout games. I would actually compare them to Germany in many respects – no real superstars, strong team ethic, and the ability to make the right decisions and reactions at the right times which is absolutely vital in my view. It is unlikely you will see many amazing goals from them, but they have a good balance in the team and can do well here.

Two key men in this team for me – Tim Howard and Landon Donovan. After highlighting Pienaar for South Africa, and I’ll likely highlight Cahill for Australia too, perhaps I am being a little bias, but recall I consider Mascherano key for Argentina also! Howard will never be considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but he is as solid and consistent as they come, and I think he could have a big tournament here. Landycakes is a different animal. I think he has the ability and skill to really grab the headlines and be considered a world class player. Confidence is high and he will be flying in this event.

Outside of those two, not many of the squad play at major clubs nor could be considered to be stars in any shape of the imagination. They do however form an extremely strong unit, and they will be a match for anybody.

So much will depend on who finishes top of the group between them and England, but I see them going far in this competition...even as far as the semis. They are my outsiders and dark horses in this competition.

Prediction - Semis


Algeria

Algeria came through a ferocious battle, on and off the pitch (google or youtube it if you don't know what i am talking about!), with Egypt to qualify for this competition, and there is no question that they deserve to be here as much as anybody. Being here may be slightly different and I will be interested to see how they react on such a stage. I cannot have many question marks if any after seeing them survive the qualification however.

There are no doubts neither as to how they will approach the tournament. They scored 17 goals in 13 qualifying games and conceded only 8 which says it all about their style of play. They have some talented players defensively, but very little going forward, and I suspect that will be even more evident at this level. Bougherra is a key man for them at the back, and he will have to be at his very best if they are to have any chance in the group.

The major issue I think they will have against the likes of the US and England will be physically and in the air. That is one area which I think will be a determining factor against those two and potentially even Slovenia. I do not hold out much hope for them, and I suspect we will see some pretty negative tactics from them to try to grab a point or two, but they will fall well short in the end.

Prediction – Group stage Only



Slovenia

If anybody told me they would have finished ahead of the Czechs in qualifying and then beat Russia in a play-off, I would probably have curled up on the floor laughing. The achievement for them was purely getting this far, whether they can do anything when they arrive, I very much doubt.

Similarly to the Algerians, their qualification was based on edging games with the odd goal and keeping things rock solid at the back. Conceding four goals only in a group containing Slovakia, Czechs and Poland is some achievement. They will be faced with a significant increase in quality of opposition here, and I think they will find it very difficult to get much out of England and the US.

No superstars in this team, but look out for Rene Krhin – a young playmaking midfielder who has the potential to become pretty special. Otherwise, you’re going to see a strong team effort, but one which will fall short of really challenging the big two here. Their only real chance will be if they can somehow take a lead against either of them – if they do, they will be extremely tough to break down.

If there is one thing to take from this analysis, and if there is one game you have to miss, Algeria v Slovenia on Sunday is the one!

Prediction – Group stage Only