As the Brazilians, the reigning champions and big favorites, await their turn to enter the competition, the first matches have seen their neighbors from the Americas reveal themselves. Argentina, Ecuador, and Trinidad and Tobago were the only teams to create a sensation. Argentina by dominating Ivory Coast, Ecuador by surprising Poland, and Trinidad and Tobago by resisting against Sweden.
After eight matches, it’s time for a preliminary assessment. What to remember? What to criticize? What to appreciate? Critiques and commendations awarded by the editorial staff of Nice Première.
Critiques:
The quality of play. Despite flattering media comments, particularly from Téléfoot suggesting that all the games are spectacular, the initial matches have been uninspiring. There have been goals, but that is not a criterion of football quality. There are many goals in the Belgian league and yet… Only one match was of good quality: Argentina-Ivory Coast featuring 22 technically excellent players. Germany (4-2 against Costa Rica) and England (1-0 against Paraguay) won without convincing and displayed weaknesses.
European teams. Lack of imagination, stereotypical play: the entry into the World Cup of Sweden, Germany, England, Serbia Montenegro, and Poland was laborious. Sweden, although it created many opportunities, failed to vary its attacks and relied too much on Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrik Larsson, who were ineffective against Trinidad and Tobago. Germany scored four goals but lacked brilliance. Michael Ballack is expected like a messiah to lead the national team as far as possible. Among the “disappointing” selections, the one led by Jurgen Klinsmann fared the best. Against lethargic Paraguayans, the English were content with an early goal. Serbia Montenegro seemed completely overwhelmed by the German heat, unable to change pace, to accelerate. The Poles clashed for 90 minutes against the Ecuadorian defense and the posts.
Broadcasting. The matches are filmed from very high up. This isn’t really an issue when watching the match on a large screen, much more on a 14-inch one.
Commendations:
Argentina and the Netherlands. Among the sixteen teams that have already played a match, these two selections seemed a cut above the rest. Solid, technical, fast, relying both on a strong collective and individuals who can make a difference, the Dutch and Argentinians controlled their matches against Serbia Montenegro (1-0) and Ivory Coast (2-1) respectively.
The players. In a World Cup that has so far been lackluster, a few players stand out. Subjectively, one might mention:
– Lahm the German fullback, Schneider the one-day captain of Germany.
– Espinoza the robust Ecuadorian stopper, his midfield teammates Mendes and Carlos Tenorio the first scorer.
– Chelsea winger Joe Cole the only dazzling English player.
– Among Argentinians, Riquelme the playmaker, Javier Saviola the former Monegasque, libero Ayala who mastered Didier Drogba.
– Didier Zokora the Ivorian defensive midfielder.
– Mexican Rafael Marquez, the jack-of-all-trades and significantly standout of the Mexico-Iran match, even though Omar Bravo scored a double in a hard-fought 3-1 victory for Mexico.
– The Netherlands has a cohesive team. Arjen Robben, the only scorer in the match against Serbia Montenegro, stands out.
– Only Figo and Simao on the Portuguese side showed their prowess against valiant Angolans with a good Akwa (a clubless player) or André, the powerful midfielder.
Shaka Hislop. The Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper, who plays in England for West Ham, is the hero of the first matches in Germany. He enabled his team to earn a point against Sweden. After a tough start, he frustrated players with decisive saves, including Henrik Larsson, Barcelona’s Champions League-winning striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Juventus forward, and Marcus Allback. Trinidad and Tobago, playing with ten for 45 minutes, achieved a feat, and Shaka Hislop was a big part of that.
Ecuador. Nice Première had presented this selection as a potential surprise. By defeating Poland 2-0, they confirmed their potential. Grouped very low to wait for the Poles, once the ball was recovered, the Ecuadorians managed to develop a technical game made of short passes, very pleasant to watch. Athletic and fast, they dominated the disoriented Poles. They need to confirm this victory next against Costa Rica for a place in the round of 16 in case of success.
Baky Koné. The only player from Nice at the World Cup, the Ivorian Baky Koné entered the competition in the 62nd minute of the match Argentina-Ivory Coast when the score was 2-0 for the South Americans. And Baky made an impact. Accelerations, provocations, accurate passes, the Eagle shone in front of hundreds of millions of spectators. After two good strikes off frame, his sprint into the box at the 82nd minute to retrieve a deep pass led to Didier Drogba’s goal. Baky Koné scored points with Henri Michel as his entry into the game changed the Ivorian gameplay. So, will Baky start against the Netherlands? Answer in a few days.
