What Lions?

Lacklustre, not even good enough to be frustrating, England are doing their thing: disappointing us all. It is little surprise that the team were boo'd off the pitch and they oughtn't complain. The defence was rickety, the midfield lacked spark and I'm not sure If the attack really existed beyond a donkey and a ghost.

I've always defended Heskey's place in the England team, on the basis that other strikers play well with him and he often comes up with a good bit of hold up and link up play, but when he's clearly not making Rooney play well, its difficult to justify his selection. If Heskey plays you want to have two strikers in and around the box, close to each other and well serviced, this is how hes involved himself in some fantastic strike partnerships such as with Michael Owen and Amr Zaki. Tonight though, Capello seemed to think that in Heskey he had a quick young thoroughbred with a good touch - and that he really didn't. Heskey was chasing long balls all night, or trying to run at the defender. A moment that summed up the night was when he ran down the right channel, nearly fell over doing an ineffective stepover, then sliced a cross over the crossbar. This isn't Heskey's fault, we all know Heskey can't run, do stepovers or cross, but he was put in a position where he had to. When he wasn't auditioning for a Nike ad he was found loitering on the wing. This presents us with three questions: how will he get to the long ball played down the wing? What's he going to do when he gets there and has to beat a defender or cross or? And who's going to head it in when he's crossing it and Rooney's venturing so deep he's almost a sweeper. Of course questions two and three are only academic as Heskey will never successfully engineer a good crossing opportunity. I don't blame Heskey for England's performance; I feel sorry for him as he is a prime example of Capello's poor decisions and reluctance to change things that don't work.

Playing Gerrard on the Left may not have seen such stupidity at half past seven but after being ineffective for an hour, it would surely be better to try Joe Cole on the wing and free Gerrard to influence the game, as England's best moments came when Gerrard broke position. Instead, when Capello brought off Heskey he replaced him with another uninspiring striker and when he brought off Lennon he again made a like for like replacement, bring on Shaun Wright-Phillips. Yes both of these substitutes looked livlier than the starters but tactically nothing was changed and in the score nothing changed.

Englands defence may not fill us with confidence but that is a problem for later in the tournament....IF there is a later. Against Slovenia Fabio will have to arrange an effective attack out of Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, Cole and Lennon. Difficult? Surely not!

If he can't motivate the team, just show them the Carlsberg advert!

Green's Fingers

My oh my, what a howler! Robert Green now takes his seat alongside Paul Robinson, Scott Carson and David Seaman on the bench of 'keepers who have humiliated themselves in an England shirt in recent years. He has also upheld a fine English tradition of disappointing in major tournaments.

But the Question now, of who should keep goal against Algeria, is thrown into everyone's minds. Often when a player makes a mistake a manager should show their faith in them by continuing to select them and support them through a tricky patch, otherwise the player can degrade completely into a twitching bag of nerves. Capello, should not, and I expect he will not, do this for Green; this is not a league campaign, it is a world cup, there is no more room for error and unless we manage to injure both David James and Joe Hart, we will not need Green again this tournament. As for him returning to his club a mess, I couldn't give a sun dried poodle shit is he struggles at West Ham next season - in fact I'd quite enjoy it.

That's it settled then. Drop Green. That leaves us with David James and Joe Hart. Calamity James or the man that's impressed the Premier League this season. I'm going to have to go with James. When you've just had a Keeper with little experience at international level or in big games screw up so spectacularly it would be unwise to replace his with someone younger, less experienced and perhaps just as shaken as Green. David James, at 39 years of age, has played 50 games for his country and in a career spanning 822 first team games, has played in cup finals, European competitions and made a myriad of amusing errors. The important thing is that he has learned how to recover from these errors and has the experience to stabilise the back five.

But although the goalkeeper is the most talked about problem with the England team last night, it is not the most pressing. Capello will be asking today how Rooney, the advertised talisman and messiah, managed to disappear for much of the game, how England can become more clinical infront of goal, how his team will manage without any pace between his centrebacks and how he managed to make such ineffectual substitutions.

The one positive England can take from the game is this man - Stevie G.

World Cup Groups: Group B

Group B consists of Argentina, Greece, Nigeria and South Korea

This is perhaps one one of the softer groups at the finals and Greece, Nigeria and South Korea will fancy their chances in this group above others while Argentina demonstrate how to get the least out of a team of stars. The Group play thier fist games on the 12th June before Englands first game.

Argentina

The big anomaly of qualifying, Argentina, only just crept into the finals despite one of the strongest squads imaginable in world football today. The team, losing 6-1 to Bolivia in La Paz, has a wealth of Talent including Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Teves and Diego Milito in the way of forwards, all of whom have been amongst the best in Europe this season. Behind them options include Javier Mascherano, Angel Di Maria, Juan Sebeastian Veron and Maxi Rodriguez in Midfield and Walter Samuel and Martin Demichelis at the back. Argentina even have the luxury of being able to leave Javier Zanetti and Estaban Cambiaso, both of Inter Milan, at home. The only area of the team where Argentina do not have some of the worlds best are both full back positions and goalkeeper - having them would just be greedy. Why then haven't they taken the world to pieces with beautiful football? Diego Maradona manages them. For many he is the greatest ever football for others he is a dirty cheat but it is undeniable that his image is equivilent to that of Argentine football. Flamboyant moments of genuis and madness filled his playing career and his management style is no different - except maybe without the genius bit. Perhaps Cambiasso and Zanetti, who both played large roles in Internazionale's season winning both Serie A and the Champions League, were dropped not Because of Argentina's abundance of talent but because of Maradona's idiocy.

Star Players

 There are those who believe that Christiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world. There are also those who are wrong and they are the same few people. The best player in the world is Lionel Messi and he has every opportunity to make this world cup all about him. The diminutive Argentine has never really recaptured his club form for his country, but he has also never had a season as good as his last so it may be that Messi has stepped up a notch and is ready to take on the world. Messi isn't alone in the Argentine squad in being a big name with a big season behind him. Carlos Teves has scored 22 league goals for Manchester city this season Higuain bagged 27 in La Liga (less only than Messi). Diego Milito, the star of the Champion's League final, looks like a small fish in this pond. None of these hotshots however, have truely impressed their manager, only Javier Mascherano has been named the best in the world by Maradona who said his Argentina team is "Mascherano and 10 others".

Manager 

Diego Maradona has the potential to take a team with and endless trove of talent and turn it into a ridiculous shambles. If there is one shock world cup exit that would suprise nobody, it would be Argentina, because Maradona has caused them to spectacularly collapse. I don't expect to do this though, Maradona can also play a part in one of the most exiting world cup teams ever and his eccentricity would be central to it.  You never know what Diego Maradona will produce next and it may be that in 30 years time we are still talking about how he "tricked" the referee into allowing him to play 12 players. It would be a victory a little bit by the incompetent refereeing of god and a little bit by the head of Maradona.

UK Based Players

Javier Mascherano (Liverpool)
Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle)
Maxi Rodriguez (Liverpool)
Carlos Teves (Man City) 

Greece

After Qualifying narrowly in a play of against Ukraine, we can all thank them for keeping Andriv Voronin away from the world cup. But that is not the Greeks' best Triumph - many of the current Greek squad were also at Euro 2004 where they sheocked us all by winning it. Does this mean they can shock us all again and win the World Cup? Probably not, but it goes to show that there is something about them. A lean defense and rigid team typify Greece (and their manager, Otto Rehhagel) but they also have a striker who takes his chances like the very best. Despite an unremarkable club career, Theofanis Gekas has scored 10 goals as Greece qualified for the World Cup finals, more than any other European. A combination
of convinction in front of goals and two big, hard and scary centrebacks are just what is needed for a series of scrappy victories. Greece will de disapointed with their recent friendly result against the World Cup finals' ultimate minnows, North Korea, who held Greece to a 2-2 draw.

Star players

  Greece are not blessed with the game's biggest names but their captain, Giorgos Karagounis, is a start. All of the teams creativity flows through him and both of Greece's goals agaist North Korea came front his free kicks being converted. Sotirios Kyrgiakos will be another important player, providing muscle and experiance in defence and will be an ariel threat from set pieces. Gekas is the other player woreth noting as he always performs for his country.

Manager

Managed by a German, Otto Rehhagal, Greece have and experienced tactition. He likes to play traditionally, favouring big physical players and a robust defense and coordinates his attacks down the flanks. Perhaps not the prettiest footballing display but he has the trophies to back it up - Euro 2004, a Cup Winner's Cup and three Bundesliga titles.

UK Based Players

Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Liverpool)
Georgios Samaras (Celtic)

Nigeria

Turbulence has followed Nigeria's preparation for this tournament and has caused them to replace their manager just three and a half months before their first game. This came after a disapointing African Cup of the Nations when many sources claimed that the Nigerian players had lied about their age - it is rumoured that Kanu is in his mid fourties and that Obafemi Martins is 32. As intruiging as these tales are, it doesn't really matter how old they are, just how able they are to play. The rumours do however highlight that the Nigeria team aren't as fit as their fans would like them to be. Other problems for Nigeria are the limited opportunities that Lars Lagerback, the new manager, has had to work with his team.

Key Players

Chelsea's John Obi Mikel is one of the most influential players in the squad and much of Nigeria's game will involve him. Joseph Yobo and Obefemi Martins are also both talented and will have to carry their country. Peter Odenwingie, of Locomotive Moscow, is perhaps the most creative player and has a great shot on him. Kanu is a big name but is more than passed it - he's not even good enough for Pompey. Edit: Mikels injured - they're fucked.

Manager

Lars Lagerback would have to be a very good mansager to steady the ship still rocking from his own appointment in time to get any thing from the World Cup. The Swede does however have an impressive CV: having managed at two World Cups and three European Championship.

UK Based Players

 
Joseph Yobo (Everton)
Danny Shittu (Bolton)
John Obi Mikel (Chelsea)
Dickson Etuhu (Fulham)
Nwankwo Kanu (Portsmouth)
Aiyegbeni Yakubu (Everton)
John Utaka (Porstmouth)

South Korea

Like Greece, South Korea are still clinging on to a decent tournament in the 2002 World Cup, where they reached the quarter finals. They may be one of Asia's top teams but they are far from being a favourite in South Africa. South Korea showed the world their might from a home stage in 2002 but no longer have a manager equal in calibre to Guus Hiddink  and will stuggle to match their best performance. Manchester United's Ji Sung Park will lead them out and is the most influential player in the side. Lee Chung Yong has impressed for Bolton this season and South Korea will look for him to do the same in south Africa.


Star Players

Park Ji Sung is the only big Champion's League player in the side but there are a few more who make an important contribution in decent European sides. These include Ki Sung Yong, Lee Chung Young and Park Chu Young.

Manager

 Huh Jung Moo - no, not a cow- the manager of the Korean Republic. Yea, I'd never heard of him until now too, but hes the guy kicking Maradona in this photo when South Korea met Argentina at the 2010 World Cup. Maybe Diego will get revenge now that they meet as managers.


UK Based Players

Park Ji Sung (Manchester United)
Lee Chung Yong (Bolton Wanderers)
Ki Sung Yong (Celtic)

So Who's Gonna Win? 
Argentina are the obvious favourates and although they have potential to self destuct I can see them failing to progress from this group. As for the other spot in the last 16, I'd have to give it to Greece - they seem the most organised and may not play pretty football but It wouldn't suprise me if they they ground out results against Nigeria and South Korea, especially with Mikel's injury