This has been the first World Cup in which I have been able to use Sky+, having finally signed for the Murdoch revolution last autumn… The opportunity to pause and rewind live TV, and record matches whilst watching something else, was a part of why I was so excited about this tournament.

Rewind…

In the months leading up to this summer, my appetite was whetted by some of the games I watched in La Liga and the Champions League, then the decision my friends had made to collect the Panini stickers (see my previous article) and the release of some lovely new kits from the competing countries. I was asked to write some World Cup Haiku, and every other car seemed to be proudly displaying the flag of a Turkish knight and a recent Inter Milan away shirt, whilst the hundreds of channels I flick through aired a plethora of World Cup themed programmes, many of which showed the highlights of previous World Cups, some amazing goals, matches and moments. One of the best of these were the indepth profiles of “Football’s Greatest”, documentaries detailing the careers of the great names from World Cup history. Zidane, Cruyff, Platini, Van Basten and Laudrup (M.) featured in some of the standout episodes.

Anyway the big day arrived, I rushed into town to meet my mates in one of our favourite hostelries for the first game. Anticipation was high, the weather was warm, and I was quickly drunk, so much so that the second match – that I had been looking forward to even more – passed by in a blur and was instantly forgotten. This was the first sign that this might not be the tournament I had hoped for…

The following weekend was a continuation of the anti-climactic feeling I had developed. An Argentine unspectacular start, England’s game against USA, Cahill’s sending off, even stolen moments in school listening to or watching online the mediocre daytime matches, underlined this. Thankfully, I was able to record those lunchtime and late afternoon games, which I could then watch on fast forward.

Often the half-time punditry was the highlight, as fading stars and never-weres discussed uncomfortably the main moments of the preceding events. Even the evening games could be watched at a quicker pace, if you missed the start, or, for extra excitement, could be watched slightly behind ‘real time’. The Brazil v North Korea match was a perfect example of the emotion of the World Cup with the crying striker during the anthems, but also of this delayed response effect – having popped out at half time I was a few minutes behind the action, and knew from texts and facebook status updates what was to come but couldn’t bring myself to speed through.

Fast Forward…

To the Friday, when I was booked in to have corrective eye surgery. You can read more about this on my blog, but as I sat nervously in the waiting room watching the great USA v Slovenia game and a potential winner was disallowed, I realised one of the problems faced by the tournament, and the game. The thousands of camera angles, super slo-mos and digital reconstructions were undermining referees, adding pressure, and adding weight to the arguments put forward during the over analysis by the ‘studio’. Similarly, many of the games I was watching, featured players I was used to seeing regularly whether at Goodison or on the flat screen and so the surprise element that people must have had in those tournaments which featured so heavily in the list / talking head shows I discussed before, had gone.

Things improved a little with my new eyes, I admit. Whilst recovering, I witnessed the Portuguese seven goal victory, and even partly enjoyed England’s demise, another game spoiled by an official’s mistake, then later saw Heinze bump into the camera celebrating a goal, and was grateful that I could rewind to watch it again and again ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fL5x4YtV0I ) but when it got to the serious business, watching the games in a pub, I suddenly realised something was missing.

Pause

Brazil v The Netherlands, for example, highlighted that I wasn’t controlling the transmission and so couldn’t utilise the remote control as I might have liked. I wasn’t as upset as this kid ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i71sJxrzsk ) but the experience showed the effect that Sky Plus has had on me. The next day I was disappointed to see Argentina implode, but sat nursing my cider helpless, unable to fast forward to the inevitable end of the defeat.

Fast Forward to Sunday’s final. Although the Evertonian me would like to see John Heitinga marshal his team to victory, the realistic alter ego suggest Spain deserve to win as they have been the best team in the worlkd for a couple of years. They certainly have the great players, technically gifted individuals like Iniesta, Xavi and Alonso who have tac-tac-taced their way to the final a bit underwhelmingly but with understated style all the same.

Whoever wins, I am glad the winners will be doing justice to those heroes of the past:

Rewind…

People like Cruyff and his phantom goal, Van Basten, Butragueno the Vulture and Di Stefano who apparently never even played in a World Cup. I hope that whoever wins it is a great game, as this might elevate the status of a tournament that has not fully delivered on a lot of levels.

Delete

Fast Forward to Brazil 2014.

As I post the article, I flick the channels in advance of the third and fourth place play-off, and what should be on but Be Kind Rewind.

Record.

POSTSCRIPT: Sod Sky Plus, just get an octopus who will predict what the outcome will be.

Well done Spain.

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Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross believes that England must stick with Fabio Capello despite the three Lions’ shambolic World Cup campaign.

The Potters’ centre-back has been tipped for a big future at international level, and received his first call-up to an England squad in February.

He feels that Capello has the sense of purpose and strength required to turn things round for the national side.

“He is a top manager, and I don’t think anybody can argue with what he has achieved throughout his career,” Shawcross told the Potters’ official website.

“Obviously things didn’t go according to plan at the World Cup finals and that is a major disappointment for everyone, but having worked under him, he certainly is a manager who leaves no stone unturned in regards to preparation.

“He is strong and thorough and makes sure people know what is expected of them, and he is excellent tactically too.

“You don’t win titles with the likes of Real Madrid unless you are a top manager.

“People are pointing fingers at him and the players, but I think at the end of the day we came up against a German side at the top of their game.

“When that happens, and you underperform a little bit, then things can happen like they did on Sunday.

“The players are good enough to do well on the international stage. Unfortunately, this year it wasn’t to be. But you look at the World Cup, there has been a few games where you wouldn’t have expected the result to have been what it was.”

Shawcross is also hoping to force his way back into the national reckoning in time for the qualifiers for Euro 2012, though he acknowldges that he could face a battle to do so.

“There are a lot of exceptional players (in the same position) like John Terry and Rio Ferdinand,” he added.

Then you have other top players like Ledley King, Michael Dawson and Jamie Carragher. It’s not easy to get into the England side.

“But as it was proven in February by Capello, if a player is doing well then he will call you up on merit.

“Hopefully, I can start the new season well and who knows? But I have got to perform for Stoke and that is my primary objective.”

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World Cup 2010

The England manager exposed his fallibility with a series of bad calls during the World Cup campaign

• Richard Williams in Rustenburg
• guardian.co.uk, Monday 28 June 2010 14.16 BST
• Article history

1 Lost in translation

It’s not hard to imagine Fabio Capello returning to Italy and, when asked about his experiences in England, uttering the words attributed to Ian Rush after the Welsh striker’s unsuccessful year with Juventus: “It was like a foreign country.” Rush never made a serious effort to become fluent in the language of his new home, and neither did Capello. The manager’s decision to hide behind the evasions and contradictions produced, even after two and a half years, by his extremely limited English reinforced the impression of unproductive intransigence and made the media wonder whether he was as inarticulate in conversation with his players. No nuances in communication could have led to the unsubtle football we saw from the squad in South Africa.

2 Too many consiglieri

When Steve McClaren went to Holland to rebuild his reputation, Sir Bobby Robson gave him one piece of advice that turned out to be very useful: go alone, without your cronies. Capello arrived in England with a battalion of Italian advisers including one, Franco Baldini, whose job seemed to involve putting an arm round the players and leaking information to journalists. This emphasised Capello’s remoteness and his unwillingness to establish relationships containing a necessary measure of personal warmth with the members of his squad. He didn’t have to be their best friend, but he could have been a caring father-figure.

3 The wrong fig leaf

When foreign managers arrive in England, they almost invariably select a home grown assistant: Arsène Wenger has Pat Rice, Gérard Houllier had Phil Thompson, Rafa Benítez had Sammy Lee, José Mourinho and Gianfranco Zola had Steve Clarke and Carlo Ancelotti has Ray Wilkins. Some of those sidekicks play a genuine role but for others the job amounts to little more than providing a fig leaf of ethnic continuity and setting out the cones in training. Clearly Stuart Pearce was the FA’s idea rather than Capello’s. The manager’s lack of respect for his unsuitable assistant has been clear for all to see in a thoroughly embarrassing YouTube clip in which his bullying attitude on the bench appears to say rather too much about the essence of the man.

4 The Capello Index

A disastrous miscalculation, its announcement was foolishly timed to do the maximum damage to Capello’s authority on the eve of the final. This was much, much worse than any of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s extra-curricular commercial adventures because it suggested that he was willing to make a public evaluation of his players’ performance for commercial gain. It cost him the respect he had been so freely given and represented the beginning of the end of the reputation burnished by nine victories in the 10 matches of the qualifying campaign.

5 Amending his contract

The next clue to his fallibility – perhaps even insincerity – was his decision to ask the FA to remove the contractual clause that allowed either party to sever their agreement after the World Cup, meaning the deal would continue without its unilateral break options through to the finals of Euro 2012. Unnerved by last month’s strong suggestion that Massimo Moratti was intent on making Capello the successor to Mourinho at Internazionale in time for the start of next season, the FA caved in – as it did with Eriksson after the Swede’s flirtation with Chelsea. Outcome: another disaster whose cost is now entirely dependent on Capello’s goodwill.

6 Giving in to panic

After losing a handful of players to injury and deciding that others were out of form, Capello unexpectedly panicked in the weeks before the tournament and contacted a couple of disenchanted veterans who had announced their retirement from international football. Paul Scholes said the request had come too late, while Jamie Carragher agreed to help out. This suggested first that Capello’s plans had not been as firmly grounded as we had thought, and second that he did not, after all, trust England’s admittedly shallow pool of younger players. However rational the calls to Scholes and Carragher may have seemed, they undermined a certain confidence in the manager and the squad.

7 Abandoning Walcott

The last-minute decision to discard the player whose hat-trick in Zagreb had bathed the qualifying campaign in a golden glow cast further doubt on the firmness of Capello’s judgment and resolve. Theo Walcott, he had insisted repeatedly, was “an important player for the squad”, and an indifferent end to a league season interrupted by injury should have made no difference to the manager’s faith in the 21-year-old Arsenal flyer. The list of the members of Sunday’s German side who did not shine in Bundesliga last season starts with Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski and Thomas Müller: the three goalscorers against England.

8 Concentration camp

Brought up in the Italian football culture, Capello has always put his trust in the ritiro: the sequestering of players in an hotel for a day or two before a match. One imagines it suited an ascetic temperament formed in the north-eastern province of Gorizia, his birthplace. Extending the concept to the several weeks of a World Cup campaign, however, proved disastrous. Depriving the players of their wives and girlfriends was one thing; making them feel like the inhabitants of a sensory-deprivation chamber was quite another. Under Eriksson, the players were thought to have been over-indulged. But why should they not at least have been encouraged to enjoy the experience of a World Cup? Here is where the internal resentment of Capello’s methods began to take root.

9 Criticising the ball

Many players criticised the Jabulani in the early days of the tournament, and Capello was equally forthright, calling it the worst ball he had seen. The fact that he was correct is immaterial. He would have done better to keep his opinion to himself rather than furnishing his players with another potential excuse for failure. “It’s a ball,” he should have told them. “Just get on with it.”

10 Castrating John Terry

Capello was right to relieve John Terry of the captaincy after the Vanessa Perroncel affair had provoked Wayne Bridge into leaving the squad, but he was wrong not to understand and accept the value of Terry’s attempted insurrection between the Algeria and Slovenia games, when the team appeared to be heading for imminent disaster. At the slightest hint of disapproval from above, those members of the squad who had initially supported Terry backed down in a trice and, as the phrase goes, hung their former skipper out to dry. But instead of adhering to his autocratic style in that evening’s crucial team meeting, Capello should have drawn out the players’ views, however incoherent, listening sympathetically and making them feel as though they had a real part to play in their own destiny rather than treating them as dim robots. Instead he continued to bellow at them from the touchline, his unsightly ranting even less effective, as it turned out, than Eriksson’s passivity.

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World Cup 2010: round of 16

After a sluggish start, England rediscovered their spirit to reach the last 16 – but bigger challenges lie ahead

Paul Hayward in Rustenburg

The Guardian, Friday 25 June 2010

• Fabio Capello’s team selection, with James Milner on the right wing, was the foundation for England’s improvement. Photograph: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images

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1. Early goal

Entirely obvious, but the first goal this afternoon is likely to be utterly decisive. Should England score early, they could quite easily sit back, pick Slovenia apart on the break and win by three or four goals. More likely, however, is that Slovenia will defend deeply in two disciplined banks of four and simply play for a 0-0 draw. If this tournament has proved one thing, it is that even the most technically limited teams are very difficult to break down. For that reason, it will be essential England retain both their patience and belief.

2. Finding the real Wayne Rooney

England’s best chance of unlocking Slovenia and getting that all-important early goal clearly lies with Wayne Rooney. He has cut a frustrated, angry and isolated figure during this World Cup. It seems to be an issue of confidence and the one consolation is that it is nothing physical. Rooney is a player who has always scored in patches and one goal is all it might take for his World Cup to come alive.

3. Solving Gerrard/Lampard debate

Whatever John Terry says about Joe Cole, the simple truth is that, after Wayne Rooney, it is Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard who are most likely to unlock a defence. Deriving the best from Lampard and Gerrard has been a perennial problem for England, but it was less than a year ago that they were sharing four goals in the demolition of Croatia to secure qualification. Then, as now, they key is to keep them apart on the pitch. Gerrard should retain that free role drifting in from left and leave Lampard to time his runs into the penalty area as a deeper-lying central midfielder.

4. Defensive focus

The big danger lies in England pushing too hard, too early in the match. They have to extract pressure in a measured and calculated way and not leave defensive gaps. They should not panic even if it gets to half-time goalless. The worst possible scenario would be to over-commit and concede an unnecessary goal. Slovenia are pretty ordinary, but Milivoje Novakovic has a decent goal record and is good enough to punish defensive lapses.

5. Fan patience

After the disappointment of the Algeria game, a sense of lingering frustration and anger from the supporters in understandable. This danger has been heightened after Wayne Rooney’s post-match comments. Yet they can still best help England by staying patient. Ideally, the first goal will come early in the match, but they should also be prepared to wait. If the atmosphere starts to turn ugly after 45 minutes or an hour, it could easily transmit itself to the pitch and the England players could become paralysed by fear.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/jeremywilson/100009852/world-cup-2010-englands-five-key-steps-to-beating-slovenia/

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• Lampard says players have complete faith in Fabio Capello
• ‘He had authority the moment he walked in and still has’  

• Dominic Fifield in Rustenburg
• The Guardian, Tuesday 22 June 2010
• Article history

England’s Frank Lampard says the players ‘still respect what the manager is doing’. Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/APFrank Lampard has attempted to repair any damage inflicted by the perceived aborted coup within the England camp by saying the players have complete faith in Fabio Capello before Wednesday’s decisive final group game against Slovenia.  

The Chelsea midfielder skilfully negotiated a passage through the minefield laid by his club-mate John Terry 24 hours earlier when the defender had suggested a scheduled team meeting on Sunday night was to become an opportunity for disgruntled players to air their grievances. Lampard has defended Terry’s heartfelt approach, which has been effective at club level, but said the squad remain utterly supportive of Capello.  

“Fabio is a strong manager and we all respect him very much,” Lampard said. “I’ve been lucky enough to work with some fantastic managers and Fabio Capello is right up there. That’s from working personally with him and looking at his record. I respect that completely and I think a lot of people do.”He had authority the moment he walked into the job two years ago and continues to have that. The players have complete respect for him. We have faith in him. We have faith, too, that as a group we’ll go and win the game against Slovenia.  

“He has given us our confidence back. I know we didn’t play well the other night [against Algeria] but, if you look at the two-year period previously, you can see, from being very low, he’s given us confidence, discipline and made us into a compact team who can also hurt teams with the quality we have. The last game wasn’t good, so everyone’s on a bit of a downer and you sometimes forget the good stuff but some of our performances under him have been top-drawer.”  

Lampard offered Terry some sympathy after the defender saw his call for a clear-the-air meeting backfire so spectacularly – the defender was warned by a member of the coaching staff ahead of the get-together that it would be unwise to speak out – with his club-mate having apparently misread the level of support he commands within the squad.  

“We had a meeting like that with Chelsea this season with 12 games to go, when no one could possibly imagine us winning the Double,” Lampard added. “We’d just lost to Internazionale and drawn at Blackburn and we had a meeting among ourselves at what was a bit of a low point and it worked. It was the right thing for us to do. We kicked on and won the Double.  

“Look back and see what John says out loud or behind closed doors, on the pitch or with the manager – he has done that before and there has been a reaction. It has worked in a positive way. John normally hits the nail on the head. So I understand what John was saying because he’s passionate as a player and a person for Chelsea, and he’s like that for England. John said all that with good, honest intentions and was straight talking. He just spoke from the heart. I don’t know if he took it too far.  

“But we’ve got 23 players here and everyone deals with things differently. Some people won’t say too much. Others want to hit things head on. Everyone appreciates that but we’ll try and hit things head-on on the training ground by looking to improve things as a group. Everyone is working in the same direction. We still respect what the manager is doing, we follow his way and we try to be successful.”  

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What irks most, though, is the English media’s constant over expectation, dreaming England can play like Spain, which no doubt has a negative impact on what is largely an over-hyped team. As a result, possession is wasted, big players go missing for large periods of the game, players spectacularly fluff their lines (Green & SWP), and a quality opposition are both underestimated and disrespected. After a dismal display from a heavily backed England team, I staunchly believe we were lucky to come away avoiding defeat.

Here’s how I rated England’s performance against the USA:

Robert Green

Robert Green cuts a sorrowful figure after howler.

Despite his obvious howler, Green did not look comfortable all evening. Neither the manager nor the England defence had complete confidence in Green, this was obvious, and at international level, this is imperative. As a result, the English defence looked shaky in possession, and anxiety emanated throughout the team.

He does deserve credit for coming out in the 2nd half, and not conceding again, but this was largely due to not being called into action. His save from Altidore’s scuffed near post shot was fortuitous at best, and the USA must be kicking themselves that they did not besiege Green’s goal with more long range efforts, as this was clearly a man well and truly on the ropes. It’s a cruel game, but Hart has to come in on Friday.

EFP Rating: 4/10

Glenn Johnson

One of the few positives from a disappointing night. With Dempsey drifting in field, Johnson had little defensive duties on that side, which allowed him to play to his strengths and get forward down the right at every opportunity. Outshone his more hyped counterpart, Cole, and on another night could’ve scored; after a decent dribble and shot just after the equalizer, and again later, firing narrowly wide. Johnson looked England’s most threatening player, was comfortable in possession, and one of the few that didn’t let the occasion get to him.

EFP Rating: 8/10

Ashley Cole

Was not England’s worst performer but by no means their best. Has the ability but another whose attitude and temperament is questionable; as he underestimated the Americans. Guilty of wasting possession and making little impact down the left.

EFP Rating: 6/10

Ledley King

King could miss the rest of the tournament for England.

Again, King had a reasonable game before going off at the break without being spectacular. He does the simple things well, but a bit more quality in possession is required at this level. Given his history, his injury means he’s a serious doubt for the rest of the tournament, and a risk if ever he plays. Who comes in for King is now a major decision for Capello.

EFP Rating: 6/10

John Terry

One of Terry’s worst games in an England shirt. Looked out of sorts for the most part; not only atrocious in possession, but he looked flat-footed, pedestrian, and was uncharacteritically second to everything. Terry needs to go back to basics, keep his head, and forget about attempting to set up attacks from the back.

EFP Rating: 5/10

James Milner

Yes Milner had a shocker, but you’d have to feel for him as he was dragged off after just half an hour. Perhaps it was the rash challenges, and the possibility of him losing the head completely and getting sent-off, but I suppose Capello had his reasons. Either way it raises huge question marks over the young man’s temperament, which hitherto had appeared his main asset. Whilst SWP did zilch to suggest he should be Milner’s replacement, I’d be dumbfounded if he starts against Algeria.

EFP Rating: 3/10

Steven Gerrard

Gerrard gets England off to a dream start. It didn’t last.

Started the game in typical fashion, and his goal was the perfect response to the captaincy. Nevertheless, after an impressive first half, and an assured goal, Gerrard was also culpable of going missing in the 2nd period.

It seemed as though he’d struck a deal with Lampard to go forward in the first period, whilst Lampard sat, which was reversed – to England’s detriment – in the 2nd. Surely at this level there has to be constant interchanging throughout the match? If both players don’t sort it out, and play closer together, one needs to be dropped or, at least, freed from their defensive responsibilities with the inclusion of Gareth Barry.

EFP Rating: 7/10

Frank Lampard

Like most, was largely annonymous and possession was wasted when he did finally get on the ball, which I’ll repeat, was seldom. But for a long range effort in the second half, straight at Howard, we saw nothing of the Lampard that shined for Chelsea last season, as he was outwitted by the impressive Micheal Bradley of the USA. Massive improvement required.

EFP Rating: 5/10

Aaron Lennon

Have England found a new headless chicken in Lennon?

Looked out of his depth, overawed; and, not for the first time, tiresomely predictable. He is very quick, and can beat his man, but Lennon does not seem to have the decisiveness and quality to deliver any end product at this level. After a woeful showing from SWP, Capello might have no choice but to stick with the little winger. Let’s hope his final ball improves, and fast, or England must resign themselves to the fact they’ve unearthed another Tony Daly.

EFP Rating: 5/10

Wayne Rooney

Rooney needs to improve if England want to progress in this competition.

Frustrated and restricted to a few half chances. We know Rooney has the ability but he has to impose himself more on the game, especially when his teammates are not at the races. But for a decent long range shot and a nice lay-off to the toothless SWP, a disconcertingly quiet showing from supposedly one of the world’s best strikers.

EFP Rating: 6/10

Emile Heskey

In fairness to Heskey, he was far from England’s worst culprit on the night, despite a typical one-on-one miss; which, of course, he shot straight at the goalkeeper. He did set up Gerrard’s opener, however, which is apparently his role, and at least found an England shirt on more than a couple of occasions. His inclusion does instigate a brand of route-one-football though, an approach which is surely not going to win England a world cup. Has to be dropped IMO, and a fifth midfielder in Barry, brought in.

EFP Rating: 6/10

Subs:

Jamie Carragher

Huffed and puffed after coming off the bench at half-time and never looked in control. Drastically exposed by Altidore’s pace for his chance, and was lucky it didn’t result in England going behind. A season past his prime and not England’s answer to deputize for the deputizing Ledley King.

EFP Rating: 5/10

Shaun Wright-Phillips (SWP)

Oh dear, oh dear. Not sure if it was Capello’s biggest mistake putting SWP on the left wing, or bringing the one dimensional player in the first place? Constantly gave the ball away and was devoid of ideas when it mattered most. Also looked desperately lacking in confidence when put through on goal by Rooney, which resulted in a tame effort straight at Tim Howard. It’s clear SWP is not up to the standard required, and I am sorry but feel it’s categorically criminal for a professional footballer, in this day and age, on his wages, to be so blatantly one-footed. So, no surprise then, not the brightest idea to play this right footer on the left wing. Joe Cole has to play against Algeria.

EFP Rating: 3/10

Overall Performance: 5/10

Few positives in what was a sobering performance. Hopefully this will put England’s chances into perspective and put stops to over-hyped media and lofty expectations from fans.

Could prove to be a valuable lesson nonetheless: much improvement is needed, if England are even to progress from their group, and hopefully no opposition will be underestimated like the USA were on Saturday night. England desperately need to revert back to a 4-5-1 formation, with Gareth Barry and Joe Cole coming in for Heskey and Milner.

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Nicolas Lodiero (Uruguay)

Possibly the most exciting talent Uruguay has produced since the days of Enzo Francescoli and Ruben Sosa. A born playmaker, he has the character, technique, speed of thought and explosive skills to become a world class attacking midfielder. Primarily deployed as a winger, the 21 year old is equally adept with either foot.

After impressing the likes of Liverpool (ENG) playing for his boyhood team, Nacional (URU), Nicolas Lodiero recently signed for Ajax (NED), to join forces with his talented international teammate, Luis Suarez.

Whilst he has featured little for Ajax since his arrival in Amsterdam at the start of 2010, he undoubtedly has the skills to light up Uruguay’s finals campaign. If he scores, watch out for his bizarre goal celebration of taking off his boot and using it as a telephone.

EFP Verdict: Could be the surprise star of an unfancied yet talented Uruguay team. Be warned!

Watch out for Nicolas Lodeiro's trademark celebration

Luis Suárez (Uruguay)

Luis Suarez is a world-class finisher with remarkable technical ability, blessed with a powerful shot and is suburb in the air. His performances for Ajax, plus a bucket load of goals over the past three seasons, suggests, at the tender age of 23, he is ready to make his mark on the biggest stage.

Expect Saurez to either score or provide

After firing 14 goals in 35 appearances for Groningen (NED) where he’d signed from Nacional (URG), Suarez was sold to Dutch giants Ajax where he would make his name. Considered as a supporting striker, who sets up his fair share of goals, he has weighed in with a whopping 74 goals in 97 games (including 49 goals in 48 games in all competitions last term). Last season he was Europe’s top goalscorer with 35 goals, but lost out on winning the prestigious golden boot as Lionel Messi’s 34 goals counted for more due to the higher quality of La Liga.

It came as little surprise, then, when Tabarez installed him in the starting eleven for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa qualifying campaign, and Suarez returned the favour with strikes in the opening game against Bolivia, and against Chile two games later.

He also found the net against Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, and demonstrated once more that beyond possessing a goalscorer’s instinct, it is his ability to create scoring opportunities that makes him such an indispensable part of this Uruguay team.

EFP Verdict: With smart money on strike partner Diego Forlan (66-1), Suarez (50-1) is great outside shout for the tournament’s top goalscorer. If not, then he could provide the assists that sees Forlan take this illustrious title.

Ángel Di Maria (Argentina)

Having seen glimpses of this precocious talent, for Benfica against Liverpool, I’m certain this sharp-shooting, jet-heeled left winger has what it takes to shine on African soils. Completing his third season with the Portuguese giants, it’s no secret that Ángel Di Maria is currently the hottest property in world football, with Europe’s elite clubs competing for his signature.

Will WC 2010 provide the stage where Di Maria comes of age?

A Rosario Central youth product, Angel Di Maria is a speedy and technically gifted left-winger with the ability to create and score goals. Di Maria’s blossoming international career has already brought him considerable success; staring in Argentina’s triumph in the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada (2007) and the gold medal team at the Olympic Football Tournament in Beijing (2008). Di Maria stared alongside Lionel Messi, scoring some crucial goals en route to glory, which has seen him graduate to the senior squad, where he is expected to start on the left wing.

EFP Verdict: How well Argentina do depends much on how Di Maria handles the high expectation rested on his shoulders. An absolute world- beater or a shrinking violet? Could go either way.

Christian Eriksen (Denmark)

Another precocious talent who comes heralding a huge reputation; and another plying his trade with the famous Ajax of Amsterdam. Comparisons with the mercurial genius Michael Laudrup might be a little premature, yet it’s a mark of just how high the Danish rate this kid.

Will Christian Eriksen get the chance to shine like Laudrup?

Spotted by the Dutch giant’s talent spotters at just sixteen, Eriksen’s greatest strength is undoubtedly his vision. His speed of thought belies his tender years, recognising match situations quicker than most players almost twice his age. Furthermore, he is two-footed, technically superb and surprisingly versatile. Not only does he create goals, he also pops up with his own fair share too.

At just 18 he is the youngest player at the finals. He’s unlikely to start from the beginning but don’t be surprised if Eriksen makes an impact from the bench and forces his way into the first team as the tournament progresses.

EFP Verdict: Could either be an Owen or a Walcott.

Dominic Adiyiah (Ghana)

If Ghana are to be the African side that reaches the latter stages of this tournament then much depends on the performance of Dominic Adiayiah. By far the best player at last year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt, Adiyiah was named the best player, and also finished top scorer, as Ghana became the first African side to win the title.

Will South Africa be too soon for Adiyiah?

His performance in the tournament’s seven matches, where he scored eight goals, not only won him a place a few months later in Ghana’s senior squad for the 2010 CAF Africa Cup of Nations finals in Angola but it also earned him a lucrative move to Italian club giants AC Milan. To crown a heady few months, Adiyiah managed to play a few minutes in the final of the Nations Cup against Egypt in Luanda at the end of January and then was named Africa’s best young player for 2009.

Speaking on his success at the FIFA U-20, Adiayiah said: “I’m following in the footsteps of the likes of (Argentina greats Lionel) Messi, (Javier) Saviola and (Sergio) Aguero and I want to emulate their careers – and I’ll work hard to do that. I’m preparing to get to the top.”

EFP Verdict: Clearly has a bright future in the game but this tournament may’ve come too early. If Ghana provide a shock then expect Adiyiah to be an integral factor in their success.

Mesut Ozil (Germany)

With the injury to Michael Ballack, Germany will be looking towards Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mesut Ozil to step out from the shadows of their talismanic Captain. Whilst Schweinsteiger is expected to exert his craft and influence on the game, Turkish born Ozil is there to provide the flair and finesse.

Expect Ozil to set this tournament alight

Mesut Ozil made the step up to international football with a string of outstanding performances. At last, people said, the three-time world champions had a new “number ten”. A technically gifted playmaker, Ozil is the kind of player that does not come along very often. This attacking midfielder brings the kind of invention and guile that can turn a game on its head.

Signing for Werder Bremen (GER) in January 2008, his career went into overdrive, stepping into the shoes of Brazilian playmaker Diego to fire the northern club to 2009 German Cup glory with the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in Berlin’s Olympiastadion.

The weeks that followed were the most important of Ozil’s career to date. At the UEFA European U-21 Championship 2009 in Sweden, he inspired Germany to the title with a series of remarkable performances and was voted man of the match in the 4-0 final triumph over England, scoring one goal and providing two assists. Germany coach Joachim Low rewarded the prodigious young talent with four appearances in qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup; with great success too, most notably when Ozil magically laid on Miroslav Klose’s winner as Germany pulled off a decisive 1-0 victory over Russia in Moscow in October 2009.

A reserved and modest figure off the pitch, Germany’s new hope cuts an explosive and marauding figure when he crosses the white line. At the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the midfielder is also an option for a left-wing berth or as a second withdrawn striker, giving him the freedom to wreak havoc from a central role.

EFP Verdict: Sure to star for a German side that will no doubt be there or thereabouts.

Javier Hernandez (Mexico)

Having recently sealed a move to the illustrious Manchester United (ENG), and in line to start for Mexico in the opening match of World Cup 2010, things are moving at an ferocious pace for the 22 year old. The golden boy of Mexican football, Javier Hernandez carries the hopes of a nation. “El Chicharito” (The Little Pea) has become, in a very short time, a sensation on the Mexican football scene, scoring for fun and dazzling spectators with his ability in front of goal.

The Mexican golden boy has the skills to shine

Hernandez is a complete forward – fast and intelligent, with remarkable shooting ability and impressive aerial power for a player only 1.75m tall. These attributes have certainly wooed Sir Alex Ferguson, but it remains to be seen if Hernandez can produce on the biggest stage of all.

EFP Verdict: Could show his potential, especially in opening match against the host nation, but his chances rest on those of his country’s, of making out of a tough group.

Roll on 3pm!

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Have you ever tried World Cup Haiku? You should.

Delighted to play my part, in what is a unique and absorbing campaign, I’ve been composing nothing but World Cup Haiku poetry for the past week or so; some good, some admittedly a little worse. I am, nonetheless, finding writing/reading haiku enormously addictive, and surprisingly satisfying.

My best effort to date centres around the forthcoming opening ceremony in South Africa, as I attempt to create an atmosphere akin to that of the eagerly anticipated first day, of what I expect will be a monumental celebration. It reads as follows:

Opening Ceremony

A boy beats his drum
Throngs wait impatiently
Seats fill, noise builds whilst

A boy beats his drum
Drink spills on concrete steps
Foot slips, friend holds as

A boy beats his drum
Disjointed trumpets begin
People dance in unison

A boy beats his drum
Excitement grows and grows
Explodes like confetti

Over a boy who beats
Over and over again
In cool thin air

Happy.

African fans are some of football's most vibrant

Whilst seasoned Haikus will inevitably view my work as that of a western novice, I’m reasonably pleased with it, and regard it as a relative success. I am especially happy with the way I have simply conjured up a scene rather than merely my own biased notions, subscribing to the renowned mantra of ‘no ideas but in things’, endorsed by the Imagist manifesto of the early nineteenth century.

Also, I have hopefully achieved my chief goal of heightening excitement before the big kick-off. This – along with serving as an alternative approach to serialising events in South Africa – and encapsulating what this festival means to fans like myself, has to be the primary motive in this particular brand of poetry, and ultimately the aim of The High IQ Haiku World Cup project.

Those interested are welcome to join me and my poetry pals and enter your own haiku. Simply send your haiku to enter.haiku@gmail.com and be in with a chance of winning what is judged to be the best haiku. Believe me when I tell you you will find it both stimulating and indulgent.

Sample haiku poetry about err Godzilla

My haiku, however you may view it, certainly stirred up palpable images of an impending opening ceremony for me, and prompted a revisit to my mind’s eye for memoirs of those opening ceremonies gone by, as inspiration for yet more haiku.

Here’s another attempt at haiku then (probably not complying with High IQ Haiku’s criteria, so therefore not eligible for the competition), transcribing events from the first opening ceremony I remember; yes, the one that got me hooked…Heck I may even comprise even more haiku and publish them on this site in some kind of series? Who knows. Like I said folks, it’s damn well addictive once you get started.

San Siro Shadow (Italia ’90)

San Siro shadow
Diego waits; entertains
Debates swarm about

Presence felt only
By those did see him lonesome
Amid tides of green.

Free, from Africa, men
Sure to prove, play and dance
And leap high to score.

Tackles flew, men sent down
Dark tunnels, sins sit alone
Whilst one goal wins.

Omam Biyik leaps highest to head winner against Argentina

As you can see, it’s not so difficult, nor too time consuming. Just play around with them, see what you come up with; and, above all, enjoy it! Ok, advice over.

If you require extra information about The High IQ Haiku World Cup project, or even about haiku in general, please visit haikuworldcup.blogspot.com where you’ll find all the details and more. Remember there is a competition currently up and running, so if your attempts are any good, you might stand a chance of winning. I like haiku, I hope you do too.

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It started with Alessandro Altobelli.

An action shot of him is all I can remember from a packet of collectable cards with a stick of funny-tasting chewing gum that a friend gave me in 1986. I loved these little pictures, and so quickly moved on to Panini stickers, and I think it was the stickers more than the football that made that tournament the catalyst for my love of the game.

I remember finding the iconic and beautiful packs of the League Football 87 stickers (featuring the iconic flying scissor kick) in a bag in my Nanna’s pantry, she had bought for me and my cousins. I loved the fact that the Scottish teams were half the size, two on one, just as the likes of Algeria had been a year earlier.

I remember buying packets of Calcio 94 featuring obscure Serie A and B badges and faces, from a stall on the harbour of Capri during a school trip, and the same year, proudly completing the Merlin Premier League Collection, the annual of which I still have.

It wasn’t aways football – Return of the Jedi, Back to the Future, Garbage Pail Kids, Batman, any thing you could waste your money on little numbered images of – and I now see that the collecting of stickers, is instrinsically linked to my development as not just a football fan, but as a young man.

Collecting, as a famous wiki reliably informs us, includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. For Freud, collecting goes back to early childhood, and toilet training, whilst another less well known psychologist claims it ‘helps us deal with trauma’. I’m not convinced by this, though do recognise the need to ‘cling to a youth, slipping away’ that Peter Blake described or wanting to capture the essence of something ‘before it fades’ a la Joseph Cornell.

A sticker book, specifically a world cup, provides a snapshot of the squad players, kit, stadiums, fashions, of the time, which is presumably why the Mexico ’86 albums I’ve been bidding on for the last few days on eBay are in such high demand, receiving expensive bids.

And, nowadays, stickers are just not the same. For example, I got a bundle of twenty free albums in ‘the’ ASDA recently and they already had six of the best players free in the middle. However, packets now cost 50p for just five stickers. Meanwhile, schools often ban swaps in the playground for fear of bullying, and Match Attax, a complicated cross between Top Trumps and old-fashioned Panini etc I played recently with a young man who was far too good at it, seems to have taken over.

Still, a recent armed robbery in Brazil of a hundred thousand figurinhas from a factory in Sao Paolo, where the craze is as popular as ever (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAs1PdGSvFg&feature=player_embedded#!) and the discovery of 20000 fake stickers in Italy, the home of the sticker (the Panini brothers started selling cards in 1961, which came to England in 1978 just in time for my own arrival) show the lengths people will go to to make money by feeding people’s desires.

I wouldn’t have bothered this year, passing on albums to my godson and friends’ kids and maybe use them in lessons, were it not for a colleague pronouncing his excitement at rediscovering the habit, then our esteemed editor commenting on how small the new stickers seem. Slowly it became apparent that I would have to give it another go this year, for old times’ – or an article’s – sake.

Buying the three packets I am about to open for you, wasn’t easy. The ruddy-faced fellow behind me in the Co-Op found it hilarious that I should be buying stickers:

“They ARE a gift, right?” he grunted.

“Er, no, they’re for me actually.”

“Shouldn’t that be cream soda and not Stella you’re buying then?”

Cream Soda? Do kids still drink that nowadays? I laughed, mainly because of the whole being-asked-for-ID debacle that happened in the same shop recently.

Then, the clincher: “Well, my thirty four year old son has started to suck his thumb again, BECAUSE HE CAN.”

I have no idea what this meant, perhaps Freud was right…

But the fact I have a little more disposable income nowadays than my pocket money should mean I can do what I want, regardless of responsibilities, no?

Anyway, I escaped home and lined up the three packets, A, B and C, which I will now open for you in ‘real time’:

PACKET A

Perhaps the most obscure packet imaginable. I have never heard of most of the players in there! Maybe I’m being ignorant, but Pak Nam Chol of North Korea, Seol Ki-Hyeon of South Korea, Emilio Izaguirre from Honduras do not look or sound familiar, and even the Swiss pair of Christoph Spycher and Tranquillo Barnetta are not easily recognisable.

Hopefully the next two will make up for this disappointing start.

PACKET B

OK so we have a slight improvement here. The standout sticker is obviously the New Zealand ‘shiny’, the genus of sticker that always brings a pang of excitement – surely Roald Dahl pre-empted the sensation with Charlie’s golden ticket? – and then Simon Kjaer, a yound Danish defender I’ve been hearing lots of good stuff about, not just because his team Palermo’s kit is similar to the new Everton away kit (more of which next time). I have had a soft spot for Denmark since the Hummel kit of ’86 and the Laudrups, so wish them well.

Making up the quintet is Pereira – I also like Uruguay because of Enzo Francescoli – Hashimoto of Japan and Rukavina the Serbian.

I can’t help still feeling a little underwhelmed, though.

PACKET C

Eric Abidal plays for Barca so that’s a positive. De Nigris of Mexico played well against England recently and I’ve also always liked Mexico for Hugo Sanchez reasons. Alexis Sanchez apparently plays for Chile, and Kang Min-Soo South Korea. Only one sticker remains, and thankfully it’s another type I was always fond of.

I always liked was the team photos, partly because they are landscape and not portrait, and here I have Honduras. I know very little about them and am therefore more excited about seeing them than other more familiar teams.

And if I’m honest, that’s the point.

The World Cup brings together nations (some would say too many) some of which we will only know one or two players, familiarity has not yet bred contempt and as a result they have a freshness and an unknown quality that the sticker album encapsulates – faces and names from afar we grow to know, years later they may be household but now they are new born, to me any way, and throughout the years, they always have been.

Which is why I will continue to waste money on these little bits of paper – the gaze of admiration, the expectancy, the information they offer, the obsessive compulsion to document World Cup 2010.

Before it fades.

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