My 2 cents worth!!

Anurag here!
Well.. i got down to the analysis of day 2..and its already day 7 of the WC. Plenty has happened in between. But, no upsets of note!! and that pisses me off. The only noteworthy games where the underdogs pulled it off T&T pulling off a 0-0 against Sweden (Paraguay against Sweden and Poland against Germany almost pulled it off too, and yeah so did T&T yet again vs England, but all ended in victories for the much fancied teams!).
Now, the question that we all want to answer!! Who will win the WC? A rational answer would be, wait up till July 9th and you'll know. But, then who said man is rational? So, here goes...i am going to paint in my top 5 picks and analyze each of them!

1) Brazil- Eternal Favorites!! How did they start? Slow, with loads of immobility up front. I was punting on Ronaldo to prove his critics wrong and get off to a flier a la 2002. But, naah, this time I think he has genuinely lost it. Adriano looks off colour too. But, the positives- plenty. Mark Ronaldinho, and then Kaka scores a beauty. Trump Card- Juninho Pernambucano- am betting on this dynamo to come off the bench in a crucial game and prove his worth. Personally, I think he is a million times better than Ze Roberto in the central midfield position. Bet against them at your own risk. They are headed to a mouth watering clash against either the Czechs or the Italians. Talk about the faulty system of FIFA- No.1 potentially facing No.2 in the second round?!!

2) Italy- They have been tagged in my must-see list of winners. Simply because of the divine ponytail- RB. They have a couple of things in their favour. They have not been hyped, for a change (owing in no small part to the betting scandal back home in Italy). And they have a more youthful look to their squad than ever before. No pedestrians like Christian Vieiri and no holy water sprinkling a la Trappatoni! Lippi is a shrewd campaigner- and he has been blessed with a good squad. Anyone who keeps Gattuso out for the bigger challenges ahead has got to be blessed. They had a terrific game against the Ghanians. Composed and controlled. Luca Toni proved to be a menace. This man has it all- good running, terrific finishing and good holding abilities. Mr. Crouch- for all your hype- this guy is a million times better. The one thing I hate about the team is Mr. Totti- an arrogant SOB, if there ever was. The spitting incident is still fresh in my head-yuck. They will do well to avoid Brazil in the next round. But, then again you got to face the best sometime en route. Better lose to Brazil than S.Korea?!! Once Zambrotta gets back, they will look even better.

3) Argentina- Lionel Messi has not played yet, and they already look like a well trained orchestra. Much has been said already in these articles about Juan Roman Riquelme. So I shall not overdo it. But, the squad has a balance, and a quiet confidence. A captain who wears his heart on his sleeve- J P Sorin, a defence that keeps its shape always, and strikers that are ready to play deep and poach when needed- what more can you ask from the team? A slightly shaky goalie they said, but Abbon-whatshizname did as good a job as any on Matchday 2. Interesting match up ahead in the second round- if the Portugese slip up- or if the Argentines themselves slip up against the Dutch. Mouth watering i say. I have a bad feeling about Gabriele Heinze though- I think he will be fouled for flaying arms- and it will be a costly one at that! Players to watch out for- all of them :). This might be a super-sub tournament for Pablo Aimar, but he is one who can change a game in a few minutes. Watch out for his little cameos.

4) Czech Republic- I love watching lion-haired Pavel Nedved terrorizing defenses in the Italian League. And I love it better when he links up with old wily fox Karel Poborsky. The oldest squad in the WC made an emphatic statement against what was that team?? aa yes USA :D. They ran tirelessly, made terrific moves, scored amazing goals and in general showed the world that while the 5th ranking is bullshit, No.2 on FIFA's computer is justified. I have a few worries though- (a) they have peaked too fast (b) they have two of their best strikers on the doctor's table (Milan Baros- inauspicious since Euro 2004 where he was spectacular and Jan Koller- good start to the tournament, but plagued by injuries, he got plain unlucky pulling his hamstring. I was listening to the commentary and all of them were pretty sure that it was 6 weeks out for Koller. The end verdict made me think of them as the weathermen.. dont ask me why!! ). But with Rosicky in such prime form, and Galasek pulling the strings and a strong defensive wall manned by the giant Cech- they have it all. Get Koller back in the team and avoid facing the Brazilians in Round 2 and you have a game on. I want them to win!! My backing all the way guys for you. Should be an interesting game against the Italians who have backed off their defences too.

5) Who do i go for? England? Holland?France?Sweden maybe? Germany? Portugal? Australia? They are all good teams no doubt. England has had a slow start to the tournament- and I dont think thats too bad. Run into form rather than run outta steam!
Portugal- Good team! Figo's last hurrah! I wont mind seeing them win. If only Ronaldo threw a few less tantrums and played a little more.!!
Australia- With Gus Hiddink at the helm anything is possible. Terrific comeback against Japan. They are no mugs. Look for good things from this team. Tough draw in the next rounds might knock them out. But, you never know!
France- they played like a joke. Learn to use Henry better. And keep Wiltord on the bench please!
Holland- played like a dream Robben was unbelievable and RVN and RVP are both good. But, I worry for them if they concede early. They might get murdered like the Italians did in a recent friendly. But, don't bet against them!
Sweden- I like them. Quiet, with no airs. They had a nightmarish start and barely beat Paraguay, but don't bet against them beating England and taking top spot. Which will make for a mouthwatering clash of England against Germany in Round 2.
Germany- Awful till the start of the tournament- these guys have the pedigree of an Arab thoroughbred. They were shaky against Costa Rica, but against Poland- they showed that the solidity is coming back. I wont say they are a good team. But, the teutonic calmness, the will to succeed on the big stage and the HOME advantage. Dont be surprised if they go all the way.
But my 5th pick is Spain. The perennial underachievers. But, this time they have made radical changes. Picked some yound kids. And kep Raul on the bench. For me, that is the single biggest step forward for this Spanish team. Blessed with terrific playmakers and marauding wingbacks and a solid back three (including Casillas- indidentally the captain in the absense of raul!) they look the complete package this time around. In David Villa, they have a pacy strong center forward and Torres plays the unselfish second striker ready to feed him scraps. Watch them waltz through unnoticed. Good draw till the QF. Bet on them to run into peak form by then. Good bench strength too.

And that concludes my article for the day. Trust me to get it all wrong. But, I covered all the teams that have a chance to win the WC. My ass is covered. :) I cannot be wrong! And I only talked about 12 teams. Not too bad eh! :)