(Please feel free to comment or provide your own opinions/analysis.)
Group B
-England (FIFA - 10th)
-Sweden (FIFA - 16th)
-Paraguay (FIFA - 33rd)
-Trinidad & Tobago (FIFA - 47th)
Game to Watch: Sweden vs. England. June 20th in Cologne. Key fixture in the group. Note: Historically, England does not play Sweden well. (Sweden last lost to England in 1968.)
David vs. Goliath: England vs. Trinidad & Tobago. June 15th. An occassion for T&T to pull the unthinkable (not to lose) as most of them play in England/Scotland.
-England will have something to prove as it has been 40 years since they were crowned world champs. The furthest the nation has gone was to the semi-finals in 1990. Between qualifying (a draw in Austria and a loss to Northern Ireland) and friendlies (a blowout loss in Denmark), some questioned Eriksson and his squad. However, world-class talent says to pay no attention. (Forwards Rooney and Owen, the midfield trio of Beckham, Lampard and Gerrard and the strong D of Campbell, Ferdinand and Terry).
-Sweden is no stranger to this competition (11th appearance). They will be looking to improve from their last WC when they made it the round of 16. They were one of the two best runner-ups in European qualifying. The Swede's 4-4-2 formation, along with goal scorers Ibrahimovic, Ljungberg and Larsson, displays a strong attack style of soccer. This nation has had success in the past, finishing third in 1994. Team captain Mellberg as well as the young-gun Wilhelmsoon join the above-mentioned goal scorers in what could be a squad no team would want to face.
-Paraguay has gone past the group stage in each of the last 2 WCs. Also, this team didn't lose (1 win and 1 tie) against Argentina in qualifying. However, they did experience blowout losses to Brazil, Peru and Ecuador. The Albirroja are here to prove themselves after disappointing appearances the last few WCs. Villar in goal and Gamarra on the back line will hold down the squad's D. Dos Santos and Barreto will handle the middle while the team's talent up front will lead the way (Santa Cruz, Cardozo and Haedo Valdez).
-T&T may lack experience, but they have the coach (Beenhakker) who led Holland into the second round in 1990. Few people expected them to qualify from a group including the U.S., Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala. The team went on to beat Mexico 2-1 in a must-win situation to force a play-off with Bahrain for the final qualifying series. Yorke is the country's best-ever player and John and Latapy bring even more experience for the Soca Warriors.
Prediction:
1. England
2. Sweden
3. Paraguay
4. Trinidad & Tobago
Cappo
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Group B
-England (FIFA - 10th)
-Sweden (FIFA - 16th)
-Paraguay (FIFA - 33rd)
-Trinidad & Tobago (FIFA - 47th)
Game to Watch: Sweden vs. England. June 20th in Cologne. Key fixture in the group. Note: Historically, England does not play Sweden well. (Sweden last lost to England in 1968.)
David vs. Goliath: England vs. Trinidad & Tobago. June 15th. An occassion for T&T to pull the unthinkable (not to lose) as most of them play in England/Scotland.
-England will have something to prove as it has been 40 years since they were crowned world champs. The furthest the nation has gone was to the semi-finals in 1990. Between qualifying (a draw in Austria and a loss to Northern Ireland) and friendlies (a blowout loss in Denmark), some questioned Eriksson and his squad. However, world-class talent says to pay no attention. (Forwards Rooney and Owen, the midfield trio of Beckham, Lampard and Gerrard and the strong D of Campbell, Ferdinand and Terry).
-Sweden is no stranger to this competition (11th appearance). They will be looking to improve from their last WC when they made it the round of 16. They were one of the two best runner-ups in European qualifying. The Swede's 4-4-2 formation, along with goal scorers Ibrahimovic, Ljungberg and Larsson, displays a strong attack style of soccer. This nation has had success in the past, finishing third in 1994. Team captain Mellberg as well as the young-gun Wilhelmsoon join the above-mentioned goal scorers in what could be a squad no team would want to face.
-Paraguay has gone past the group stage in each of the last 2 WCs. Also, this team didn't lose (1 win and 1 tie) against Argentina in qualifying. However, they did experience blowout losses to Brazil, Peru and Ecuador. The Albirroja are here to prove themselves after disappointing appearances the last few WCs. Villar in goal and Gamarra on the back line will hold down the squad's D. Dos Santos and Barreto will handle the middle while the team's talent up front will lead the way (Santa Cruz, Cardozo and Haedo Valdez).
-T&T may lack experience, but they have the coach (Beenhakker) who led Holland into the second round in 1990. Few people expected them to qualify from a group including the U.S., Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala. The team went on to beat Mexico 2-1 in a must-win situation to force a play-off with Bahrain for the final qualifying series. Yorke is the country's best-ever player and John and Latapy bring even more experience for the Soca Warriors.
Prediction:
1. England
2. Sweden
3. Paraguay
4. Trinidad & Tobago
Cappo
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