Czech Republic
The Czech Republic has long been considered the underdog of internation football but this time it’s very different. Thanks to a combination of experience and exciting young talent, the Czech Republic is second in the FIFA world ranking. On paper, this means that only Brazil are better. On their day this is quite possibly true but inconsistency tends to shine through eventually. They certainly don’t have a problem up front having amassed 35 goals in just 12 games. They also only conceded 12 goals in this same period but finished second place, 5 points behind Holland the eventual winners of the group.
35 goals made the Czech Republic the highest scoring European team in qualification notching up a 14 goals in just two games. Koller scored nine goals including four goals during the 6-1 defeat of Macedonia, Rosicky got six, and Lokvenc and Baros scored five each. The opposition will also have to keep an eye on Pavel Nedved and Karol Poborsky as well as one of the most promising goalkeepers in the world – Petr Cech. Very strong contenders to progress far in this tournament and should certainly make it out of the group.
Ghana
The Ghanaian team are making their first ever appearance in the World Cup finals and will aim to use all of the team spirit they have to progress. Even though Ghana has very few soccer superstars the current coach has managed to combine the team perfectly to create a well oiled unit. Michael Essien is easily the most promising and talented player in the team and could well shine.
Ghana convincingly topped their qualification group with 5 points to spare scoring the most and conceding the fewest goals in their group. No single individual really stood out in terms of goal scoring. Seventeen goals were scored with Muntari, Appiah, Essien and Amoah as joint highest scorers with just three goals each. However, having conceded only four goals they were also tight in defence. How well this translates to the World Cup scene remains to be seen but it will be a real shock if Ghana makes it to the knockout stages.
Italy
Italy is a team in turmoil. The Italian world of football has been rocked by scandal after scandal that goes straight down to the roots of the national game. Even Lippi, the national coach, will be investigated when the World Cup comes to a close. As ever, though, they are defensively tight and have an outstanding array of forwards. In their fifteenth world cup Italy have won the tournament three times.
The qualifying group that Italy left behind flattered them in many ways. They finished five points clear of second place but there were some decidedly nervous moments along the way. There are a lot of players that could be singled out for special mention but of all them, Totti is probably the one that oppositions will be paying the most attention to. Toni will also demand a certain amount of respect. In all honesty, the controversy should not affect Italy getting out of the group stages but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Czechs taking top honours.
USA
The USA are, to many, another surprise entry in the FIFA top five world ranking. At number five, the USA has a lot to live up to in Germany. Their route to the finals was easy in terms of opposition but they had to play a staggering 27 games. Neither defense nor attack was particularly convincing overall but they got the job done and put it in a good, team effort.
Johnson, Donovan and McBride are the stars of the team. Donovan, in particular, shone through during qualifying not only providing six assists but also scoring six himself. They have an embarrassment of riches in terms of world-class keepers too. The USA could be considered the forgotten team despite this being their fifth consecutive entry into the finals. It will be tough for them to progress out of the group stages but should provide some good quality football matches during these early stages and possibly cause an upset or two along the way.
Group Outlook
On recent form and qualifying form the Czech Republic have to be the strongest fancied to top the group but in Italy they may have met the team to pip them to that particular post. Both these teams should progress convincingly. That said the USA has grown considerably in stature in past years to a high and fairly consistent level. Group E looks like being a high scoring group even with Italy involved and the Czechs look capable of outgunning absolutely anyone. Czechs to take top spot with Italy coming in second.
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