Declining Super Eagles face stern test in Group Two

| Friday April 30, 2010 00:00

GreeceGreece took a lot of people by surprise when they won the European Cup of Nations in 2004. But instead of building on the 2004 success, the performance of the team took a nosedive. Though they have been to the World Cup before, Greece has not won a game, let alone score a goal. One of their main players in the 2010 World Cup are Sotirios Kyrgiakos, the Liverpool monster in central defence. There is also Kostas Katsouranis, the defensive midfielder. The playmaking responsibilities will fall at the capable feet of captain Giorgos Karagounis assisted by Angelos Charisteas and Georgios Samaras. Theofanis Gekas, the top scorer in the European World Cup qualifiers with 10 goals is not big or fast. But if you judge players solely on goals scored in World Cup qualifying, then Gekas is better than Wayne Rooney.

Greece has been under the tutelage of German Otto Rehhagel since 2001. He took a lot of credit for Greece's historic Euro 2004 victory. The Greek fans call him 'King Otto'. He has been criticised for Greece's defensive tactics that failed in Euro 2008. The current approach is not necessarily pretty, as it is all about getting the ball to the big strikers as quickly as possible, but it is not as cautious as Euro 2004.

ArgentinaThere was one time when it appeared like Argentina will fail to qualify for the South African showpiece. It would have been a death-blow as the team is guided by the god of Argentinean football, the one and only Diego Maradona. When he was appointed coach, a lot of people thought Maradona was wet behind the ears. He did dot have a track record of coaching. He was thrown into the deep end and he had swim or sink. The belief was that as a former great and role model to a lot of Argentinean players, his influence will rub off the national. It did though not to a greater extent at the beginning as the team struggled and suffered embarrassing defeats.

So it was up to the players to play for their mentor and you could have seen how Maradona celebrated when his team finally qualified for South Africa. Now he has a big challenge ahead of him to prove himself as a coach as he did as a player.Lionel Messi is the wonder kid of the Argentina squad. The Barcelona attacking midfielder carries the hopes of the multitudes of Argentineans. If he carries his current form to the World Cup, he could turn out to be the star of the tournament and even win if for Argentina. The other player who could prove an asset to the team is Carlos Tevez.

The Manchester City forward plays with his heart and soul and Maradona will not expect anything less. Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain will come handy just like veteran Juan Sebasti‡n Ver—n if he makes the squad. Ver—n is playing his football like a man possessed at the moment. His performances for his hometown club Estudiantes have booked them a place in the final of the club World Cup against Barcelona. After failing to make the squad for the 2006 World Cup, it looked as though the player's international career had come to a premature end.

However he defied the boo-boys to put in a sterling performance against Brazil in the 2010 World Cup qualifier and despite his team falling to a 3-1 defeat, he left the pitch with the fans cheering him. Ver—n will be the link in Argentina's World Cup team and will dictate play in the final third. Another player to watch is Jesœs D‡tolo. When D‡tolo is on the pitch, expect the unexpected as the left-winger has a tendency to produce something out of nothing. He is held in very high regard in his homeland.

NigeriaOver the years, the Super Eagles have lost their magic touch. While they used to be a force to reckon with in African football, Nigeria has of late been playing second fiddle to countries like Egypt and Ivory Coast. Nigeria is dreaming big in South Africa 2010. The country is expecting to put up a performance that will supersede the Super Eagles' previous World Cup outings. Their best outings have second round appearances in 1994 and 1998. Apparently, Nigeria is targeting the semi-finals this year. The Super Eagles go into the finals under the leadership of Lars Lagerback, the Swede's technical adviser of the team, who was appointed after the sacking of Shuaibu Amodu. He has been given a semi-final target by the Nigeria Football Federation, a goal the coach said is achievable. 'I wonder why people are pessimistic when they hear talk of a semi-final target. Every country that goes to a major championship wants to do well and I believe that Nigeria has the players to do well at this World Cup.  Several people have asked me whether a semi-final place at the World Cup is not a dream, but I tell them that we can achieve it if we all work together: the players, the coaches, the administrators and the fans,' said Lagerback. Nigerians and African football lovers are waiting with bated breath to see if the Swede will deliver on his mandate. If he does, it will be a great achievement for Africa. Not much is expected from African teams. There is no doubt that there is talent in Nigeria but it seems that of late, commitment seems to be lacking in the team. The current team fares badly compared to the class of 1994 and 1998. The level of commitment of some of the current players change drastically when they play for the national after doing very well for their European clubs. This has proved to be the downfall of the Super Eagles.  There is a galaxy of stars in the Nigerian team like Obi Mikel, Joseph Yobo, Peter Odemwinge and Obafemi Martins. The onus is on these players to rise to the occasion and represent their country well. If they do not shed off their lackadaisical attitude, then Nigeria will not proceed to the next round.

North KoreaKorea DPR come to the finals as a closed book to the other teams. They last took part in the 1966 World Cup in England when they upset current champions Italy 1-0 to gain a spot in the quarterfinals. They lost 5-3 to Portugal in the quarters in a match they led 3-0 at one time. The North Koreans were the first Asian team to progress beyond the first round of the World Cup. The current team is composed of both native North Koreans and Zainichi Koreans born in Japan. 

The inspiration of the team is the late president Kim Il-sung, touted as the Father of the Nation. The nation's football team unites behind the deceased Supreme Leader, even though he has been dead for a while. The dead can rule forever, as they say. Many have asked what the world can expect from North Korea in South Africa. No one knows what they bring. Their warm up matches have been a hodgepodge of cancellations, lost strips and abandoned games against better opposition, while fixtures against Burma and India can hardly be deemed rigorous. Wait until the Koreans take to the field to see what they have in their bag of tricks. Will they cause any upsets. I doubt.