Some random thoughts on the second group fixtures of 2006 FIFA World Cup:
 
– The hosts are the first side to qualify for the knockout round. A hard fought game against a motivated Poland, who will crash out without scoring a goal so far. Germany was far different this time than their previous fixture versus Costa Rica: They played much more solidly in the back while exerting a lot of energy trying to score. Michael Ballack returned for this fixture but was so-so. Poland maintained a very tight, organized back line and marked well throughout. Jurgen Klinsmann brought on David Odonkor and Oliver Neuville as second half substitutes, switching formations from a 4-4-2 to a direct 3-5-2, and it mattered; both were integral in getting the win for the Germans. Germany still showed some good direct attacking flair throughout but managed only the one goal. Artur Boruc was fantastic in goal for Poland, stopping at least five golden scoring opportunities by Germany; the lone goal allowed was more of a defensive breakdown in stoppage time, so it is a shame that Boruc doesn’t have a clean sheet to show for just how really integral he was. Poland has yet to maintain any kind of coordinated attack going forward: Now it is too late.
 
– Surprise team so far: Ecuador. They have thoroughly slashed both of their opponents so far in group play to become the second team to qualify for the second round – and in fact they are now ahead of Germany in Group A by goal differential. A magnificent performance against Costa Rica; Ecuador played a much more thorough game against them than Germany. Ecuador attacked with abandon; crisp passing, running into space, and imaginative creating on the attacking end. Augustin Delgado and Edison Mendes were creative geniuses, finding attacking possibilities every time they had the ball on their feet, and Delgado and Carlos Tenorio took advantage of the service they were getting by finishing their chances. Even late substitute Ivan Kaviades got into the act with an incredible breakaway after pinpoint service from Mendes (who was my Man of the Match). Ivan Hurtado and Ulises de la Cruz held down a tight, organized backline, sealing up the center and not letting Costa Rica’s Paulo Wanchope or anybody else get behind them, let alone any real chances in the box. A clearly well-rounded team that is doing everything well right now, Ecuador has a very good chance at pipping Germany in their final group fixture.
 
– For about 60 minutes England looked lethargic and uninspired against Trinidad & Tobago. Even though the match was played mostly in the T&T end of the field because of the lack of any attacking quality by T&T, England just couldn’t get the ball through to their strikers – and quite frankly looked like they didn’t want to. Michael Owen couldn’t get onto the ball to save his life, and Peter Crouch shot like a stork stuck in the mud. Crouch and Owen didn’t link up well together for more than a match and a half, and the midfielders (Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole, and David Beckham) took more of the shots. As a matter of fact, the few best scoring opportunities in those first 60 minutes were taken by T&T.
   Then Wayne Rooney finally took to the pitch (as well as Aaron Lennon on the right), coach Sven Goran Eriksson switch to a more attacking 3-5-2 formation, and some much-needed energy finally got into the English side. Crouch still looked like a stork stuck in the mud but at least he played a much better coordinated attack with Rooney, who linked up offensively better with everybody around him – and it mattered. I credit the goal scored by Crouch to T&T getting tired and to a sublime cross from Becks than to any scoring quality by Crouch, and clearly the late goal scored by Gerrard was because T&T ran out of gas from defending practically all match long. By matches end the lion’s share of the scoring chances was still taken by the midfield, although Rooney clearly provided some much-needed link-up and energy. That said, Madd Props to T&T, who hung around to make Group B much more interesting than any of us had any right to expect. And Kudos to T&T’s Dwight Yorke, who was everywhere and did everything for them; he has acquitted himself well this tournament.
   If England has any real designs on going deep into the tournament they are going to have to play much better than they have been. As it is right now future superior opponents that displays even a modicum of attacking quality would cut them no slack. Let’s not kid ourselves: A group draw this favorable that even incoherent performances have not prevented qualification for the second round.
 
– The Sweden-Paraguay match looked more like a youth league match. You know the kind: A bunch of six-year-olds just knocking the ball back and forth with no real organization – that was this matchup. Neither team showed any semblance of midfield control; the ball was just going east-to-west with reckless abandon with virtually no coordination from either side. Sweden had more chances in the box but Ibrahimovic, Larsson and the Allbeck just weren’t finishing their chances – for a team that scored amongst the highest during qualification they sure are struggling to score goals. Freddie Ljundberg finally got into the attack and it mattered; he is the main linkup to the front men. A ragged match that prevented England from winning the group – for now.
 
– The most complete team right now is Argentina. There clinical, thorough and powerfully complete dismantling of a Serbia & Montenegro side that had given up the fewest goals of any side during qualification was nothing short of scary and served noticed to everybody else left in the tournament that, in all likelihood, an appearance in the July 9^th final will probably go through them. Argentina did absolutely everything right against S&M; attacking, defending, ball control, passing, creativity on an absurdly sublime level, organization, anticipation, workrate, pace – EVERYTHING! And the icing on the cake: All three substitutes scored (which is a testament to how deep the Argentines are; Lionel Messi, at 18, is probably the most magical creator they have, yet he can’t even get on the pitch until the last twenty minutes of the second group fixture, where he scores one goal and assists on another). That said, S&M were a colossal disappointment. I expected a helluva lot more out of side that up until now had been the epitome of organization and tactical discipline. They clearly need to go back to the drawing board and start over again.
 
– The Netherlands were finally tested by the Ivory Coast, who, even though they got two goals down early, never gave up and put on constant direct attacking pressure up until the final whistle. Good direct attacking from Holland, who got some fantastic creative flair from Robin van Persie on the right forward flank. As good as he was in Holland’s first group fixture, Arjen Robben doesn’t really get his teammates involved in attack; he is more of a put-his-head-down-and-go-forward-with-the-ball kind of forward flanker who will break down a defense on his own and create his own shot. Ivory Coast actually did a decent job of cutting off Holland’s service to Robben – which is why Holland went to van Persie instead. Still, Holland’s direct play, which is emphasizing getting the ball quickly to their front men, does have it’s detriments: The midfield (Wesley Sneijder, Mark van Bommel and Philip Cocu) are virtually non-existent. Now that Holland has qualified for the knockout stage, that is going to have to change. The lone Ivorian goal notwithstanding, Holland is still playing tight, organized defense: the goal they allowed was from long distance; so far the Dutch defense has yet to allow any opposition strikers any really decent service in the box. That is going to be very important in their final fixture versus Argentina. Even though the Ivorians crashed out after two group fixtures they acquitted themselves well; they were in every game and put both of their opponents back on their heels until the very end, which is more than I can say for Serbia & Montenegro.
 
– Mexico got the better of the service in attack against Angola but just couldn’t come up with the score that would have gotten them full points. Angola’s defense was susceptible to Mexico’s attack finding space in the box but they never let them score. In contrast, Angola kept taking off-target long-range shots because Mexico’s three-man backline never let them get any real service to their lone striker, Akwa, who continues to show very bad judgment when he does get on the ball. Rafa Marquez is one of the best defenders in this tournament (along with Argentina’s Gabriel Heinze and Switzerland’s Phillip Senderos), having not allowed space to any opposing striker in the box. Right now Mexico’s biggest concern is that, while their forward wingers taking the bulk of the scoring chances, the lone striker is not doing anything, whether it’s Jared Borgetti or anybody else. From here it gets more difficult, with Portugal and possibly an opponent in the knockout round waiting for them, so somebody had better step up to the plate in the box and start linking up with their flankers and finishing some chances Real Soon Now.
 
– Portugal put on a much more solid performance in their win against Iran than they did in their first group fixture against Angola. They had an almost 2-to-1 advantage in possession, which normally translates into more scoring chances – which is exactly what Portugal had. Iran actually played solid defense, though, not giving Portugal too many chances in the box. Portugal did, however, have some very good shots on goal from long range. Deco finally was the effective linkup with the front men he was slated to be, and Cristiano Ronaldo was an effective sharpshooter from the flank; it isn’t surprising that both of them scored. Portugal’s backline is not as organized as other more effective backlines in this tournament but they sure do man-mark well, and their full-backs are making their presence felt going forward. Pauleta didn’t have too many opportunities for quality shots so the midfield was very effective and it needed to be. Even though Iran has been eliminated they showed much better poise and tactical organization than I thought they would; they certainly didn’t embarrass themselves. With this win Portugal leads the group going into their final group fixture versus Mexico, so it gets much tougher for Portugal from here on out.
 
– Finally an upset! After the thorough demolition of the USA in their previous fixture, nobody expected the Czech Republic to do anything short of pick Ghana apart – we were wrong! Ghana got a quick goal from the outset and the Czechs quickly went back on their heels. In this World Cup, the first team that scores has had a decided edge in controlling tempo, and this game was no different. Even though the Czechs still showed good combination play going forward, they had lost their edge and Ghana took advantage of it, showing even better direct attacking play and forcing the Czechs to keep their defensive shape more. Stephan Appiah and Michael Essien were invaluable in the center of midfield, directing play and switching the attack from flank to flank, keeping the Czechs off balance. And Essien was even more invaluable closing down Paval Nedved, Karel Poborsky and Tomas Rosicky in the midfield, staying in their grill and never giving them space to effectively link up with their forwards. Vratislav Lokvenc was a poor substitute for Milan Baros and Jan Koller, both out with fitness problems. When defender Tomas Ujfalusi was sent off in the second half the Czechs recklessly went forward in numbers, leaving the few defenders they had left on an island for Ghana’s attackers to dismantle, using their speed and man advantage to break down the Czech offside trap and score the clincher late. As good as the Czechs were five days earlier they were just as bad this time. Asamoah Gyan took innumerable shots after one-timing it for the second-minute score, such was the service he was getting. Even after Sulley Muntari’s clinchers Ghana was attacking at will, literally going for the jugular and leaving Czech keeper Petr Cech to make save after impossible save (he actually had a good game). Thanks to Ghana Africa has its first win in this World Cup, and now have a realistic chance to make it out of this group.
 
(NOTE: After the way the Netherlands and Argentina thoroughly ran away with Group C, it is a plain as the nose on your face that the real “Group of Death” has been proven to be Group E. Now that Ghana is a real player, Italy and the Czech Republic have to work hard right down to this final whistle in their last fixture against each other. I don’t envy the second place finisher: They in all likelihood will get Brazil in the knockout stage.)
 
– The refereeing in the USA-Italy match was spectacularly awful. Good refereeing is when you hardly notice that he’s there; clearly this guy insinuated himself on this fixture in a major way, to the detriment of both sides. For the first 28 minutes it was actually an energetic and entertaining match, with both sides playing direct attacking football, and surprisingly with the USA doing a pretty decent job of controlling the midfield. When the USA denied the ball to Pirlo Italy was impotent – you saw what happened when he did get the ball; he was able to service the front men, and it mattered for a while. Set pieces mattered early. The USA caught some early lucky breaks: first they get an own-goal, then Danielle de Rossi threw an elbow and was sent off, making Italy play a man down for more than 60 minutes. Then things turned for the worse for the USA in a space of three game minutes when both Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope were ejected. While this opened up space, both teams strategies and tactics changed drastically, where neither controlled the midfield and both were just trying to get the ball quickly up front to try and make anything chaotic offensively materialize by happenstance. Still, gotta give it to coach Bruce Arena, who did a splendid job of preparing the USA after a disastrous start to this tournament. While having to settle for a tie the USA fought tooth and nail, and because of Ghana’s win have at least a slugger’s chance in this, the “Real Group of Death”. This fixture should have never devolved into an unorganized slugfest like it did. Players win games, coaches lose games, and referees ruin games.
 
– Japan-Croatia lacked any real attacking coordination and continuity from either team. Play was choppy on both sides with neither team able to establish any kind of a rhythm. Japan had a majority of the possession but couldn’t get the ball to their front men in the box, and as a result there was no decent combination play by the forwards. Both teams took long-range shots, with Nico Krancjar taking the best of them. Croatia still not getting their midfielders into the forward attack too much; Krancjar was doing his best to link up with his forwards but with ineffective results. Darijo Srna is ball winning and getting most of the forward possession, while Dado Prso, getting no service in the box, is spending a lot of time coming to the half-touch line and bringing the ball forward. Japan can’t seem to find any combination of men going forward that has any coordination at all, although they were finding a little more space in front of goal in the second half. Decent defensive organization from both teams, and both teams did a good job of man-marking the opposition strikers in the box, although Croatia at times got the better possession by their front men due in no small part to their size superiority. Both teams still have a chance to advance but they had better come up with some kind of linkup with their front men to have any chance.
 
– Good tactical discipline from Australia; their defense was rock solid. When not in possession the dropped numbers back into a zone about 30 yards in front of goal and did not allow Brazil any space to run on to. They forced Brazil to go to the side and backwards but they weren’t allowing them to go forward. Both Adriano and Ronaldo had to run back outside the penalty area to get the ball. Ronaldinho was being surrounded, so the better service was coming from Kaka (as it was in Brazil’s first group fixture against Croatia). Once again, Ronaldo just is missing that certain pizzazz that made him the player he was in previous World Cups; now he just doesn’t have the touch. When Robinho finally replaced Ronaldo, it was as if they got a shot of adrenaline for one very simple reason — Robinho can move off the ball; Ronaldo can’t. Adriano’s goal was a good example of what happens when you don’t crowd their playmakers; in that instance Ronaldo and Adriano were allowed space to link up. Against a Brazilian side this magically creative you can’t afford to make a tactical mistake like that. You saw how important Ze Roberto and Emerson were to Brazil in the Australian counter-attacks; the Socceroos had beaten the offside trap and had nothing but space and opportunity going towards goal until both Brazilian defensive midfielders chased down the Australian attackers and dispossessed them. Robinho’s presence gave Brazil space and flair going forward, and they owned the possession from then on – Fred’s clincher late was proof of that. Gotta give it to Australia, though; even though they played most of the second half behind they kept coming and wouldn’t go away. That will serve them well in their final fixture against Croatia. A much better win for Brazil than their first fixture but coach Carlos Alberto Pareirra had better come to the quick realization that Robinho gives them much better attacking creativity than that fat ass Ronaldo.
 
– France had the majority of the possession in the first half, which is their game, denying South Korea decent possession and cutting off their service into the penalty area. Thierry Henry was all over the pitch, ball-winning, making things happen going forward, and being a target in front of goal. He is clearly their best player right now. Zinedine Zidane displayed hypnotic vision and one-touch creativity, especially in creating the goal for Henry. For 135 minutes Korea had failed to get Park Ji-Sung involved, and he is key to Korea’s fortunes. While Korea showed a lot of energy and pace, France displayed a lot of calm and creativity and, as a result, they controlled the tempo…
   …Then in the second half France made a fatal error, one that Korea’s opponents four years earlier made: They downshifted, and that fed right into the Korean’s hands. Korea is probably the most physically fit team on the planet – and they never EVER give up. Korea found a fifth gear and ran right at France, never letting Zidane and Henry get comfortable on the ball again. Korea transitioned from attack to defense quickly and just kept coming and coming until France wilted under the pressure. It is not in Korea’s game to show any creative attacking flair, but that is not the point. The Park Ji-Sung equalizer (he finally got into the game) was less a creative score and more of an inevitable result of the mounting Korean pressure; if it wasn’t Park it just would have been somebody else. Now France have to go into their final fixture versus Togo needing a win – and without Zidane, now sitting on two yellow cards – while Korea controls their own destiny, leading the group two points clear.
 
– Both Switzerland and Togo, clearly motivated by France’s inability to get max points in both their fixtures, played the kind of wide open football fans like to see. The ball was not spending a lot of time in the middle of the field. Switzerland was criticized mightily for playing a tactically cautious game against France in their first group fixture. They opened up a lot more against Togo, using a five-man midfield to go forward, spread the defense out on the wings and send the ball inside to Alexandre Frei. The linkup between the flankers and Frei, the lone striker, worked well, as evidenced by his early score. Togo wasn’t letting roots grow under their feet, though. They were making direct, long-range passes into the attacking end frequently, and not taking the time to build up a coordinated attack – but at least it was entertaining and fun to watch. Emmanuel Adebayor and Mohamed Kader were actually linking up pretty well but without any forward help were getting cut off by a Swiss backline anchored by Philippe Senderos, who to my mind is the best center-back in this tournament so far. Even late in the game Switzerland kept going forward, bringing on another attacker and keeping the offensive pressure on Togo and still executing a slow buildup forward. A solid win for the Swiss, but Togo did not embarrass themselves despite the off-field turmoil.
 
– I can’t help but think that the wet conditions in Hamburg had more to do with Saudi Arabia losing than the Ukraine’s attack did. On both first half goals the goalkeeper slipped on balls he would have ordinarily gotten to had the pitch been dry. That said, the Ukraine played much better attacking football this game than they did in their fixture versus Spain. Sergei Rebrov in midfield was a vast attacking improvement, linking up with front man Andrei Shevchenko well. Saudi Arabia seemed to have been slowed considerably by the wet field; they just didn’t have the energy and pace they had in their first fixture, and were unable to make those speedy runs into space. The Ukraine went with a three-man backline this time out, and they did a fairly decent job of denying the Saudi’s front men decent service throughout, relying on the midfield to stay in the grill of the Saudis and perform most of the dispossessing. It certainly was risky using only three defenders on their backline, especially with this suspect a defense and against a side as energetic and pacy as the Saudis, but you can’t argue with the results. The Saudis can’t entirely blame the weather for losing their shape and organization in the back, especially on set pieces, which were fatal. The Spain match was clearly not an accurate indication of the Ukraine’s real football ability. But Saudi Arabia showed some real football ability this time, which bodes well for their future.
 
– John Madden once said, “Prevent defenses prevent you from winning.” Need Proof? Tunisia, who took an early one-goal lead on a breakaway and Spain defensive breakdown, then proceeded to spend the next 60+ minutes dropping everybody – and I do mean EVERYBODY – back in defense; they literally had eleven men in front of goal, never once seriously going forward, and just conceded a vast majority of possession to Spain… Bad Idea! Spain, with three midfielders but more germane to the issue three attackers up front, relentlessly kept sending numbers forward. The ball spent an obscene amount of time in the Tunisian penalty area – you knew that Spain was going to break through sometime. Sure enough, after Spain coach Luis Aragones sent Joaquin in as an extra flanker and Raul in as an extra attacker, the two subs hooked up for the equalizer. The game winner followed in short order from Fernando Torres, who found space behind the defense, which by that time had lost its composure and organization, after Tunisia finally decided to loosen up after the equalizer. Even a team as enigmatic as Spain was not going to go without scoring under these circumstances. That said, Madd Props to Tunisia, who made the Spanish attack work for their three points and really put a scare into them. A better game than anyone thought it would be and a good example of why the Spanish can crash out of this tournament earlier than they should.
 
daveydoug