South American Fate: The World Cup Draw

The World Cup 2010 draw is out and the lines are set in stone. Teams have been told of their starting spots, their rivals and their paths to the finals. So with battle lines now drawn out, teams will move towards finalizing their strategy and plans to making this world cup as successful as can be.

However, there can only be one winner and it is extremely likely that that team may be one from South America. Let’s take a look at how they fared at the draw and what the future will hold for them.

Uruguay

>Placed nicely in Group A, Uruguay have hosts South Africa, France and Mexico to accompany them. From the looks of things, the fight will be on for second place with France being guaranteed the top spot. However, if World Cups are anything to go by, then the 2002 results will tell us to pre-empt a team’s performance at our own peril.

France do remain one of the top prospects and beating them will be quite hard. However, a one-off tie means that Uruguay can, if they organize themselves well, put up a good fight and gain a point against the French who are susceptible to fall to infighting & petty internal squables, rather than opponents.

Mexico have always been average at World Cups and therefore, cannot be underestimated when looking at the fortunes of Uruguay. They may not be the side of yesteryears but still thrive on their footballing culture to pull them through tough games. Uruguay will have their task cut out if they are to get three points here.

South Africa are probably going to be the toughest opponents in the group. The hosts will be looking at Mexico and Uruguay as possible 3-point games, with France being the tough ones. If the Confederations Cup performance is anything to go by, then South Africa are definitely a force to reckon with. Not Dark Horses though, Uruguay will have a tough time getting past the pumped-up hosts.

Argentina

>A tough qualifying campaign for a team that has a history of underachievement at the World Cups, Argentina have fared well in the 2010 World Cup Draw with Nigeria, South Korea and Greece.

Nigeria will be a tough opponent for the World Cup and like Cote d’Ivoire proved at 2006, you can never underestimate African teams. however, the class and ability in this Argentine side is such that you can never underestimate them and if things come together for Maradona’s boys, they will have best chance of winning this encounter.

South Korea are never easy. Full of running and speed, they will look to threaten this Argentine side on the break. However, South Korea will fall woefully short in terms of skill and technique, probably taking Argentina to an easy 3-points.

Greece are tough to break down, extremely good in the air and very disciplined - everything Argentina aren’t. However, the South Americans still hold the advantage and if they can hold on to the ball long enough, they might find a few gaps in the Greek wall. They have the skill to get three points but the Greek are a side that can, very easily so, take those 3-points away.

Chile

>Place in Group H alongside European Champions Spain, minnows Honduras and Switzerland, Chile may have an outside chance of qualifying from their group.

Spain may have overcome their ability to implode at tournaments and that will be the only reason why they will overcome Chile in their sleep. Chile might as well not show up considering all the chokers in Spain have either retired or been left out of the national team.

Honduras have been decent in their qualification through a relatively easy qualification zone. They will certainly be out of their depth at the World Stage and Chile might find them easy-pickings with their superior technique.

Switzerland are probably the other contenders for the second spot, alongside Chile. Coming through a tough group, for their standards, in qualification, the Swiss have proven that they can be quite a handful. An evenly poised encounter, only time will tell whether the South Americans can gain anything out of this, in all probability, decisive fixture.

Paraguay

>Placed alongside defending World Champions Italy, first timers, New Zealand and Slovakia, Paraguay will be pleased with the draw for South Africa 2010.

Although the Italians are the clear favourites to win the group, their inability to score goals despite all the talent at their disposal has put them in trouble in the past. However, this should be looked at as a foregone conclusion unless miracle strikes in South Africa.

New Zealand should be a walkover for the Paraguayans who have more World Cup experience and better style & technique as compared to the newcomers from Oceania. New Zealand will probably finish dead last in their group, Paraguay will probably beat them silly as well.

Slovakia are somewhat of an unknown in this group. While Paraguay & Italy’s exploits at this level are known, Slovakia will be somewhat of a battle for the South Americans. If anyone will pose a threat to the second spot in the group, it has to be Slovakia. However, Paraguay will still be expected to gain 3-points from this encounter.

Brazil

>Trading places with Spain at the top of the world rankings, Brazil are one of the favourites to win the world cup this year. An excellent qualifying campaign later, Dunga may have been rubbing his hands, waiting in eager anticipation for the draw. But the results may have left him somewhat dismayed as Brazil find themselves in, clearly, the “Group of Death”.

North Korea must be wondering what they did wrong as they were piled into a group with one of the strongest teams in Africa, one of the strongest teams in Europe and one of the strongest teams in South America & easily the world. They will probably end their campaign at the bottom of the group with their “Goals Against” column looking like a cricket scorecard. Brazil will breeze through them for sure.

Portugal are a threat! They may have barely qualified for the World Cup but that can be attributed to their group and performances, rather than the quality of their team. Capable of beating anyone on their day, they will be a match for the Brazilian flair and skill, countering it with their own. Also, they have a certain CR9 in their lineup. Brazil can claim to counter that with their own midfield fireball in Kaka. But Brazil just might have too much quality to beat these Europeans in a battle of skill and wits.

The toughest opponents in the group for all the rest, Cote d’Ivoire or Ivory Coast will be the ones to watch out for. Strong, quick, extremely good in the air, prolific scorers and tactically strong, the Ivorians have everything it takes to win the whole thing, including Didier Drogba. They are definite favourites for the World Cup and if Brazil manage to get anything out of this game, I will be pleasantly surprised.

From the looks of things in South America, the happiest people out there would be the ones who struggled to qualify. Argentina and Paraguay will have fought hard in qualifying but their World Cup groups are certainly easier than they would have expected. Uruguay and Chile can say the same however the favourites to win the title, Brazil may find it difficult to make it out of their group, let alone win the whole thing.

Group Stage Predictions

>Below is a prediction of the matches, the results and the final standings in the group stages, for these South American teams:

Uruguay

*Vs France:’ LossVs Mexico:Loss/Draw*Vs South Africa: **Loss **Final Positioning in Group:’ Third or Fourth in Group (1 - 3 points)

Argentina

*Vs Nigeria:’ Win/DrawVs South Korea:WinVs Greece: **Win/DrawFinal Positioning in Group:’* First Position in Group (6 - 9 points)

Chile

*Vs France:’ LossVs Honduras:WinVs Switzerland:Win/Draw/Loss*Final Positioning in Group:’ Second or Third in Group (4 - 6 points)

Paraguay

*Vs Italy:’ LossVs New Zealand:WinVs Slovakia: **Win/DrawFinal Positioning in Group:’* Second in Group (4 - 6 points)

Brazil

*Vs North Korea: *‘WinVs Portugal:Win/DrawVs Cote d’Ivoire:Draw/Loss**Final Positioning in Group: ‘First, Second or Third in Group (3 - 7 points)

First in qualifying, Brazil may just be the biggest and the first major casualty of the 2010 World Cup. Even if they get through qualifying, most probably behind Ivory Coast, in second place, they will meet, in all likelihood, Spain in the Round of 16.

Tough times ahead for Dunga who would, understandably so, look disappointed after the draw.