Day the seventeenth

England - Ecuador 1-0

The England jalopy clatters on into the quarter finals courtesy of a Beckham freekick, and a large slice of luck. I don't remember the Ecuadorian keeper being forced to make a save, and England struggled to create chances. The only possible positive to take from the game was the performance of Carrick, who actually played a couple of attacking passes of 10-15 yards, and along the ground! To anyone reading who watches and supports another team, that might seem like an odd thing to exclaim, but I can't remember the last time I saw the England midfield trying to thread the ball through along the turf from advanced positions. There was something constantly threatening about Carrick's decision making, and he showed nice range and creativity with a couple of reverse or disguised passes. In inverse proportion to Carrick's performance though was Lampard's. If anyone has a clue quite what has happened to the guy between leaving west London and arriving in Germany, feel free to comment, as I have no fucking idea how he's turned into such a donkey in front of goal.

Portugal - Holland 1-0

Can we all please take a moment to mourn the passing of the game of football. After tonight, I'm not really sure if my faith in the sport will recover. Rather than reviewing the proceedings of the match, I'll just pose a couple of questions.

1) What the fuck was the referee thinking?
2) What the fuck was van Basten thinking?
3) What can van Nistelrooy possibly have done to piss everyone off so much?
4) Have the FA made a pact with the devil?
5) Will we be able to buy t-shirts with photos of Ronaldo crying on them?

Day the sixteeth

Germany - Sweden 2-0

So it was the Sweden that played T&T and Paraguay that turned up for this game, rather than the one that was unlucky to have to share points with England. Ibrahimovic was utterly leaden, Larsson squandered his one chance, and a normally well drilled defence decided it was time to start tripling up on Klose on the edge of the area.

Now that the inadequacies of their opponents have been dealt with, we can linger a little on the romantic notion that Germany are actually gathering momentum, and might be in danger of putting on a good showing in this tournament. The hints were there from the first game, when they played with unexpected pace, and with devastating finishing from range. A mid-group stumble to victory against Poland had everyone wondering if they'd consigned the 'You can write off the Germans' headlines to the bins too soon. Brushing under-strength Ecuador aside doesn't really count as emphatic, but it seems to have allowed precious confidence to start flowing, particularly between Klose and Podolski, who are playing as well as either of them can have played so far in their careers. In particular, Klose's control and change of direction in setting up the first goal against Sweden was a move I would have never believed him capable of. It seems that instead of the Bierhoff-esque heading totem, he likes to play with the ball on the ground, a predilection the passing of Ballack is only too happy to accomodate.

The German rear-guard is still shaky when attacked centrally, and as flattering as it is to put Sweden in the group of top European teams, the Germans still haven't faced a truly stern attacking test. As mobile and determined as they have looked, they still don't appear to be as good a side as the Argentines, or Spanish, and so you couldn't make Germany your favorites on those terms. However, in knockout football, the inferior team often wins, if only through the actions of one special player. All it would take is three games of Ballack playing as well as he did against Sweden, and there's nothing in the world to suggest that they could not sneak all the way on to the podium.

Argentina - Mexico 2-1 aet

The breathless tv commentary had this one down as one of the best games they'd ever seen by the time it was over. That's a woeful overstatement, as the game never really ignited beyond the level of cautious fencing. Mexico did extremely well to score early, converting their moment of pressure against superior opposition brilliantly, when so many teams regularly fail. Argentina were quite subdued during this game, a state certainly contributed to by a dire performance from Saviola. He's a player who struggles from one performance to the next, alternatively sylph-like and floor-dwelling. This was definitely one of those games were he was incapable of holding on to the ball for longer than two strides, more often than not muscled out by a determined defender, occasionally just wasting possession with poor passing. After his performance against Holland, I would've liked to have seen Tevez given the starting place, as he has much greater power and strength to ally to a speed that's surely every yard the equal of Saviola's.

Riquelme never really found his range, and Messi seemed tentative in the face of sturdy Mexican tackling (though he did become more authoritative as extra time wore on). Sadly, one player that hasn't impressed me, for reasons that are entirely my fault, is Maxi Rodriguez. I honestly can't remember anything he's done other than score. That said, with 3 goals from 4 games, if you're going to be remembered for anything, it should be that. And what a goal it was.

Argentina's style in this competition operates on extremely narrow margins. Against weaker teams who are not compensating with extra effort, they are able to exploit space and pass them to death. Mexico on the other hand showed that by working hard and closing down, the quick passing favoured by Riquelme becomes much more difficult to pull off. Argentina definitely have players capable of performing that kind of game even when the ball is under considerable pressure, but clearly it becomes a more error prone system, and Argentina don't look like they have a considered alternative to it. Make no mistake, they are possibly the most technically gifted squad in the competition, and they are still my favorites for the title, but against determined opposition with more to offer in attack than Mexico, Argentina will have to play to 100% of the potential their talent provides.

Day the fifteenth

Spain - Saudi Arabia 1-0 & Ukraine -Tunisia 1-0

Two absolute turds here. Spain had almost nothing to play for, and so almost nobody played, with the laudable exception of Joaquin, who always gives good value. Ukraine found themselves in the fortunate position of being able to put a 4-0 opening day spanking behind them by virtue of the fact that they were in a group with two very weak teams. The solipsistic nature of this blog means I'm fortunate that when I think there's nothing worth saying about a game, or games, I don't need to write anything. Nothing to see here.

France - Togo 2-0 & Switzerland - South Korea 2-0

Hands up. I didn't see either match. France are obviously still a good enough side that they can turn it on sufficiently to sweep aside 4th rate opposition when necessary. Who knew?

I'll freely admit to being hugely amused by the unceremonious dumping from the competition of South Korea by an unfancied Swiss side. The inept refereeing of 2002 that chauffeured South Korea to the semis still annoys me, as does the child's whistle pitched shrieking of their fans whenever they so much as pass the ball successfully. Glad to see the back of them.

Day the fourteenth

Italy - Czech Republic 2-0 & Ghana - USA 2-1

The inevitable capitulation of the post-Ghana Czechs continued as they never really mounted a threat in this game. Baros was unfit, and in an aging midfield, it was too much for Rosicky who looked increasingly lost as the burden of fashioning a miraculous escape fell to him. The likes of Plasil and Stajner confirmed suspicions that the golden generation of Czechs was a fairly thin crop, with almost no strength in reserve in the squad. It was an unfortunate and humbling exit from the tournament, and looks likely to signal a similar exit from the top table of international football for some time to come as Nedved, Koller, Poborsky and the majority of the defense shuffle off into retirement.

For Italy it was a routine affair. They looked boring going forward, and hovered between seeming invincibility in defense, and surprising disarray. Italy have a habit of just doing enough to get by during the early stages of the tournament. Only problem with that is, for me, when the questions start getting harder, Italy have no recent history of being able to rouse themselves from their petulant hubris and actually play. They'll grind past Australia, but after that, I don't like the look of this Italian squad.

Ghana were superb from what I saw of this game. As strong and inventive as in their previous games, even without the creativity of Gyan in attack. America were their usual dour flavour, all athleticism, but very little wit or verve. Plus, I just don't like the look of Bruce Arena, so I was pleased to see them get dumped out in this manner. Appiah on the other hand has a quite outlandishly cranial-looking head, which is a fine complement to his impressive game.

Brazil - Japan 4-1 & Australia - Croatia 2-2

Thankfully for my reputation as a pundit, when Brazil made changes to their XI and their formation, they were mostly the ones I've been arguing they should make. Gilberto Silva was a much more assured figure in the holding midfield role, mopping up the ball with fewer theatrics than Emerson, and distributing it with less of a chip on his shoulder about playing the simple ball. Juninho added his metronomic presence to the deeper position in the centre of the pitch, spreading play and ensuring that Ronaldinho and Kaka did not have to drop as deep as in previous games in their search for workable possession. Robinho bristled with pace and intent, and created space all across the front line, something that the lumpen pairing of Ronaldo and Adriano had failed in completely.

Ronaldinho still seems to be having a poor competition when judged against his high standards. He is being marked as tightly as you'd expect for a player with his reputation, but the problem seems more likely to lie in the paucity of movement from the rest of the team. For Barcelona, Ronaldinho can rely on constant quick movement from the rest of the midfield, so even if he is doubled up on, there is still the opportunity to pick a pass to the spare man and hurt the opposition that way. In this Brazil team, whether through ego or tactics, the other players don't seem to view it as their task to play off Ronaldinho, and so frequently he is left looking for space to play the ball into, and finds none.

Ronaldo is still a big tub o'lard, but when he's standing still, boy can he finish...

The other match in this group looked crappy, a fine free kick aside. In comparison to the number of piledrivers that have found a home in the top corner, it seems that fewer free kicks have been scored than in previous competitions. That's probably just wishful thinking though, as I remember bemoaning the lack of free kicks at the last World Cup too. Come back Stoitchkov...

Day the thirteenth

Portugal - Mexico 2-1 & Iran - Angola 1-1

Didn't really care about either of these fixtures. Might possible get my 'most tedious group' award. I liked Maniche's goal though.

Argentina - Holland 0-0 & Ivory Coast - Serbia & Montenegro 3-2

With nothing to play for, neither side was ever going to tear into this game with the classic-baiting vigour you'd expect from a knock-out stages contest. All in all, nice touches, and Argentina looked comfortably the better side, even with their reserve team out.

I was glad the Ivory Coast got the win, but fell asleep before the goals came on. Will update this when I get broadband back and can watch the highlights. There, you don't get that kind of naked honesty from the tradtional media, do you?

Day the twelfth

Germany - Ecuador 3-0

Surely resting 5 players against Germany was the height of impertinence. The Germans achieved what they were challenged with, in fairly emphatic style. Ballack was excellent, shooting and passing with great authority, while Klose and Podolski put in confidence building performances. England will no doubt be happy they avoided them. Ecuador on the other hand retain the position of unknown quantity - they have looked solid at the back, and inventive in the midfield, with fewer misfires in front of goal than their pre-tournament also-ran counterparts. England would be expected to sweep them aside in the next round, but England look ill-equipped to dominate anyone at the moment

Poland - Costa Rica 2-1

I'm sure this game mattered to someone. Not to me though.

Paraguay - Trinidad & Tobago 2-0

I'm sure this game mattered to someone. Not to me though.

England - Sweden 2-2

Is it late enough in the tournament to start criticising England, or are we still waiting for them to get started, safe in the knowledge that they are trying not to peak too early? At times in this game they played like idiots, no more so than during the catalogue of embarrassment that resulted in Sweden's second goal. Joe Cole's strike was excellent, easily a contender for individual goal of the tournament, but it did little to disguise the poverty of chances England created in the first half. For about 15 minutes they seemed to have remembered how to move off the ball, but it was just illusory, and they never settled into a pattern of anything other than static positioning and unimpressive passing. The second half was marked mostly by their typical gifting of the initiative to Sweden, who looked like scoring from every set piece, and who but for wasteful finishing from Mellberg and a Carragher handball, would have been 3-1 up within the first 20 minutes. They managed to pull back in front, taking advantage of Sweden launching forward in chase of the winner and the opportunity to dodge Germany, but they couldn't even hang on to that vindicating goal.

England can get better. Equally, they can get worse. There's no a priori conclusion, but any sober analysis of England's previous form in major competitions points at only one outcome.

Day the eleventh

Switzerland - Togo 2-0

Didn't see this one. Barnetta's finish was exact, so it looks like he added to an impressive performance against France. Two good goals, several shoddy refereeing decisions and another African team dumped out of the competition.

Ukraine - Saudi Arabia 4-0

Thrashing the weakest team in the tournament hardly announces a return to form, but you blah can only blah blah beat what's put blah blah blah in front of you blah blah blah blah. Was working during this one too.

Spain - Tunisia 3-1

All that brings us to Spain, my favorite team of the first round of matches. I fully expected them to take inspiration from the Argentine mauling of Serbia and Montengro and push on to become only the second team in the tournament to put two consistently good performances together. Instead they laboured to a flattering result, sending Aragones back to the play book in the process. After several tournaments of playing with two wingers, like De Pedro, Vicente, Joaquin, Etxeberria et al, Spain started this tournament with a packed midfield and a relatively liberated front three. Against Ukraine this worked brilliantly as their opponents gave space and time for Senna, Xavi and Alonso to find the front three and maintain control of the ball across the field. Tunisia on the other hand were far stronger opponents, and in Trabelsi had a player who seemed to have been possessed by the spirit of Cafu in his prime, who was to be found stretching the Spanish midfield repeatedly over the course of the first half. With Tunisia finding frequent space and long stretches of pitch to run into on the left hand side of the Spanish midfield, it was harder for Spain to maintain pressure, as Luis Garcia seemed unwilling to track back, and Alonso found himself fighting fires down Pernia's flank. Subsequently, while Tunisia managed to steal a goal after sloppy play by Puyol (something that happens more often than you might think, as anyone who watches Barcelona a lot can attest), Spain created very little of note in the first half.

The reorganisation of the second half, with the introduction of Fabregas and Raul strung the midfield out a little more solidly across the centre of the pitch. However, while this strengthened the Spanish effort, and allowed Fabregas and Xavi limited opportunities to attack through the centre, it wasn't until the introduction of Joaquin that Spain began to stretch Tunisia and change the game. Suddenly Tunisia could no longer afford to pack the centre of the penalty area and rely on making it hard for Fabregas to pass holes in their formation, as they found themselves double-teaming the very direct and very quick winger. Tunisia became disjointed, crowding Joaquin for the first goal, and caught playing a high defensive line for the second, seemingly unaware that Torres is just as quick as his team-mate.

Spain arguably have one of the three strongest squads at the tournament, with the likes of Iniesta and Reyes yet to get a game, even though the former revitalised Barcelona during the Champions' League final, and the latter put in seveal excellent performances during Arsenal's European run last season. Arguably thought the thing that sets Spain aside from either Argentina or Brazil is that they have the personnel to play two very different systems. With Joaquin and Reyes they have two of the best wingers at the world cup, alongside a more measured and cunning midfield complement of Xavi, Fabregas, and Iniesta, finally supported by the solidity of Alonso and Senna. From those seven players it's possible to constitute a very flexible midfield, with a couple of players on the bench able to either drive forward through the middle or down the wings to stretch the game, or shore it up should the need arise. Spain are clearly capable of playing excellent football, and have finishers capable of taking a good proportion of the chances on offer, so with a squad as strong as this, it seems more important to focus on the manner of their escape, rather than the first half stutter that put them in need of rescue.

Day the tenth

Croatia - Japan 0-0

Occasionally I feel guilty for not writing much about 0-0 games. Japan played pretty well, and might have deserved a victory for the nimbleness of Nakamura alone, but in keeping with the grand tradition of second tier teams, neither side had anyone of genuine finishing ability. Still, this was just the appetiser, with the main course not appearing on the table until 5pm, right...

Brazil - Australia 2-0

Underwhelming Brazil, valiant Australia, blah blah blah. The truth of the matter is that this was a crappy game, marked more than anything by wasted possession, sloppy finishing, and the sight of Ronaldo looking like a barrel made out of pork. Adriano and Ronaldo are such a static forward line that they conspire to made Ronaldinho look ineffective and drive Kaka to try and do it all by himself. With neither of their strikers making runs and creating space, there's no pass to be picked, and no gaps to be run into, so Ronaldinho ends up clipping hopeful balls over the top that Ronaldo doesn't even think about chasing, or switching the play ineffectively from wing to wing. The introduction of Robinho made Brazil more threatening instantly, he has pace, control and hunger, all of which Ronaldo seems to have misplaced, or eaten.

I'm still not convinced that simply swapping out Ronaldo for another player is the answer to Brazil's problems. They famously lack width, even with Cafu and Roberto Carlos attacking from defense, and so get caught playing a fairly narrow game, unable to spread the ball unless either full back has made the run. Against well organised opposition, they seem to be caught trying to thread passes through an area about the width of the penalty area, with little overlapping, and so time after time, through-balls were cut out, and scooped passes blasted back downfield. Compare them with Argentina, who have started out this competition using space across the entire pitch and look by far the most threatening team because of it, and you have some idea of the measure of the task of reinvention facing Brazil.

I would still like to see Juninho brought into the side in place of Ze Roberto. He can sit deeper, and dictate play alongside Gilberto Silva, who should replace the hapless Emerson, who seemed incapable of completing a pass or making a tackle today. Robinho should replace Ronaldo, but be stationed wide to give more options on the ball and create more space for Kaka to burst through in support of Adriano. It's clearly far too early to write this team off, as they have incredible attacking strength, but at the moment they are a long way from playing as a team, and unless they do, it will be difficult for them to harness the thrilling talent they possess.

France - South Korea 1-1

For about 20 minutes France looked like righting four years and one game's worth of wrongs. Henry scored, Zidane was at the centre of most French attacks, and they had pace, width and a seeming passion to dominate this game. However, they then spent the next hour or so preening around the middle of the pitch until they were mugged by the South Koreans in quite hilarious fashion. Barthez's despairing flip at the ball as it spun over his head will go down as one of my most treasured moments of this stage of the tournament: he's always struck me as teeth-grindingly arrogant for a man so blunder-prone.

There's a case to be made to say that France were denied a game-sealing 2-0 scoreline when Vieira's header was flung back from behind the line, but the purist in me sees some justice in that decision. Vieira had easily one of the worst games I've ever seen him play, misplacing passes, towering shots into the stands and generally looking like his Arsenal performances were unlikely myths, rather than the truth of just 18 months ago. His one decent contribution was that header, and it was a contribution he didn't deserve to make.

Day the ninth

Portugal - Iran 2-0

Portugal always afford better opportunity than most teams for discussing the shortcomings of the lone striker tactic. I've heard a couple of commentators state repeatedly that Pauleta is a brilliant exponent of this position, but in this World Cup, as in Euro 2004, he seems totally inadequate for the task. His talents seem to lie in finishing easy chances created by the inadequacy of inferior opposition defences, rather than in holding up play to bring onrushing midfielders into the game, or alternatively making chances for himself through individual brilliance.

Moreover, it's apparent that the Portuguese midfield either doesn't have the quality, or the discipline to play this formation well. The only time Christiano Ronaldo appears in the penalty area is during corners and free kicks, and it is telling that his most threatening contributions have been from attacking set-pieces. I'll own up to be being enthused the first time I saw Ronaldo's step-over routine a couple of years ago, but in my defense, I wasn't quite prepared for the spectacle of a player employing such elaborate means of deception in pursuit of so little end-product: the footballing romantic in me assumed that anyone prepared to throw in 5 or 6 tricks to get past a defender must have something special in mind when it came to distributing the ball, or striking on goal. More times than I care to remember during Portugal's two games, Ronaldo has wasted possession in good positions, occasionally due to the fact that none of his team-mates barring Pauleta had bothered to get into the box, but also frequently just from the sloppiness of his final ball. An emphatic penalty does nothing to disguise this.

Deco's excellent shot deserves praise through, but ultimately it was a game unworthy of such a goal.

Ghana - Czech Republic 2-0

It's tempting to seek explanation for this result in the decimated Czech front line, but that would be to pay the Ghanaians far too little credit. Although with Koller and Baros absent, the Czechs were noticeably inadequate up front, by far the most telling factor in this game was the athleticism and skill of Ghana. Essien and Appiah equalled, if not dominated Rosicky and Nedved in midfield, and coupled with the determination of the Ghanaian defense, and the pace and tenacity of Gyan and Amoah up front, the game rarely looked in doubt. Rosicky came up with several slinking runs from deep midfield, and his ability to move with the ball under control at pace is as good as anyone I've seen (with the possible exception of Ronaldinho, apologies to any Brazil haters reading) but even he was incapable of breaching a fairly disciplined and extremely strong Ghanaian backline. And to cap it all, the move for their second goal was quite lovely.

Italy - USA 1-1

Another underwhelming performance from Italy. While the game was interesting from a dramatic point of view, with plenty of incident, it was mostly bereft of interesting football. Italy strike me as a team with too much presence, and not enough guile. They seem content to assume that they will be able to outmuscle other teams, and so display very little in the way of smooth passing or movement. Pirlo doesn't get on the ball enough, and I have never really rated Totti, even though he's a regular contender for 'best player in the world' if Pele happens to visit Rome that month. I'd be tempted to say that the Italians are an early contender for an unexpected first round exit, but with the Czechs now having all three of their first choice strikers unavailable for the final group stage game, Italy will probably sneak through.

Day the eighth

Argentina - Serbia & Montenegro 6-0

Utterly comprehensive, Argentina built on what was good in their victory over Ivory Coast, and added to that mixture of patience and pace some utterly ruthless finishing. Their first goal was brilliantly worked, combining the flair of Sorin's backheeled pass, with the potent directness of Saviola's run into the box and Maxi's toe-poked finish. From such an audacious start it would have been foolish to predict that the standard of the game could be elevated, but in scoring what is undoubtedly one of the great team goals of international football history, Argentina did just that. The unhurried rhythm of the team when playing in the middle of the pitch was wonderful, but they were put under limited pressure there - however, instead of falling apart when they got closer to the penalty area and the line of Serbian defenders, the control just got better, the passing more accurate, and the move gathered pace and threat. The backheel and thumping finish crowned the move in almost fictitious style.

Add to this the triumphant emergence of Messi, showing brilliant control when running at speed, and demonstrating his lethal combination of vision and finishing, and Argentina have become an outstanding contender for this World Cup. Tevez came off the bench to score a brilliant solo goal, involving a nutmeg and the sweetest of curled finishes, to prove that there is considerable attacking strength in this squad (Aimar didn't even make it onto the pitch). I thought a few days ago that Spain had set the standard, and I stick by my judgment that of the first round of games, their performance was the most complete. Today though, Argentina accelerated away from the pack, and it remains to be seem whether anyone has the desire and the skill to keep pace with them.

Holland - Ivory Coast 2-1

I remain to be persuaded of the Dutch threat in this World Cup. They definitely have a talented squad, and a couple of reliable finishers, plus an excellent goalkeeper. However, they still haven't managed to translate this into any extended periods of dangerous looking football. Robben and Van Persie have periodically made penetrating runs over the course of their two games, and van Nistelrooy's finish today was typically brutal, but they did not dominate the game, and had Ivory Coast shown a touch more composure, or the crossbar a touch more generosity, Holland might be fearing the consequences of facing the rampant Argentines next week.

Kone's goal was superb, and I thought Drogba was excellent throughout; full of invention and intent. However, it was unfortunate that the majority of good chances Ivory Coast created did not fall to him (primarily as he was the creator) and so it was left to the weaker links in the side to try and keep the team alive. It's unfortunate for the competition that Ivory Coast weren't gifted a slightly easier draw, as the presence of Zokora and Drogba in later rounds will be missed. Bad goalkeeping and wastefullness in front of goal cost them, and let the Dutch off the hook, and it may well transpire that the latter stages of the tournament will be all the weaker for it.

Mexico - Angola 0-0

Again, if this was a traditional footballing review, I'd congratulate the plucky underdog for securing a brave draw. However, in doing so they contribute to a despairingly boring match, and so will get none of that warmed-over praise here. Dire.

Day the seventh

Ecuador - Costa Rica 3-0

Another day, another missed game. I should've taken the month off. In keeping with previous games I've only enjoyed in highlight form, there were some very good goals. The idea that Ecuador might top this group could make the game between England and Sweden a farce, with both competing to finish second and avoid Germany. There's definitely more to be said about Ecuador, they are surprisingly strong and technical, and as a Southampton fan, I always had a sneaky feeling that Delgado could finish, which is being vindicated quite superbly. However, there are more important matters to consider, so Ecuador will have to wait.

England - Trinidad & Tobago 2-0

Before this game, someone asked me how I thought England would do. I replied that they'd make incredibly hard work of breaking down a vastly inferior side, and then make the result look pretty with a couple of late goals. This is classic England, and obviously, if playing crap and winning with late goals was an established footballing tactic, it would be a solid gold winner. Unfortunately, it isn't. This England side is playing as poorly as any I can remember in the last 10 years; they are devoid of movement even against the most unpromising of opponents, the midfield are constantly looking to play game-ending passes over the top of the opposition for Owen to chase, hubristically secure in the notion that he's still the teenager of 1998, rather than the forlorn, half-fit Owen of today who doesn't seem capable of lasting more than 60 minutes of football. At times today England looked scared of a side made up of players almost uniformly making their living outside of the top two divisions of the national leagues they play in.

The lack of a ball playing midfielder has to be rectified, but for me this is only a partial solution. Earlier today Mark K-Punk pointed out that Italy had substantially less possession than Ghana in their comfortable 2-0 victory of a couple of nights ago. Now leaving aside the fact that if Ghana had a finisher the equal of their midfielders that scoreline might have looked substantially different, there are significant differences between what the Italians seek to do with possession and what England attempt. The Italians are patient, occasionally too patient. The English philosophy seems to be one of instant attack; the ball has to be played over great distances, into galloping space in front of the striker or winger. How many times today did the ball just pop out of play, or skip into the path of a waiting defender? It's this style of play that sees us frequently invite pressure, exactly as we did against Portugal at Euro 2004.

The Portugal game, and the Brazil game of 2002 before it give ample evidence that England are not always capable of raising their game against good opposition. The idea that they will only cede the initiative to Paraguay and T&T just doesn't stand up to historical examination. For some time England have been happy to let far more technical teams batter them, in the hope that a hoofed cleared and the pace of Rooney or Owen will secure the odd goal to see them through. It hasn't worked before, so why will it work now?

The appearance of Lennon should be applauded though, as for once Eriksson made positive changes, but he is unlikely to feature in the starting line up - the experiment with Beckham in the centre of the pitch has already been proven a failure, so we can face the fact that any players in the squad with pace, direction and hunger will be reduced to late game cameos, and against the odds missions to salvage already lost games.

All that said, nice finish from Gerrard. Especially nice to see an England player scoring emphatically with his 'wrong' foot.

Sweden - Paraguay 1-0

Had Sweden been watching the England match and planning some vast ironic spectacle where they attempted to replicate all the failings of the previous game? They did not improve at all from their abjectness against T&T and the decision to replace Ibrahimovic with the irredeemably crap Allback was mystifying. All adds up to England - Sweden being a salivatory prospect...

First Round Matches

What have we learned?

1. Some players are good at hitting the ball very hard, from distance, and getting it on target.
2. England players get tired when they run around.
3. African defending is still 'naive' - someone must tell them.
4. John Motson giggles whenever a Brazilian player controls the ball.
5. France are just awful.

The World Cups of 1998 and 2002 produced relatively few games that stick in the memory. Nigeria's 3-2 victory over Spain in 1998; France's narrow extra time win over Chilavert's Paraguay in the same year; the USA's win over a preening Portugal side in 2002. The grouping for this world cup promised only a handful of matchups to get excited over in advance, but in happy contrast to previous years, already a couple of regulation looking ties have exceeded expectations and produced great goals and genuine contests. Of course, the other benefit of having only a small number of quality teams facing off in the group stage ensures that the knockout rounds should be set up to produce great matches. The early exits of Argentina, and a French team that were better than their no-wins, no-goals performance last time robbed the tournament of a lot of potential drama. At this stage, it seems that everyone has turned up to play (except Ronaldo) and one week in, I'm enthusiastic about the potential of this World Cup to just get better and better.

Day the sixth

Spain - Ukraine 4-0

As Brazil discovered in 2002, being written off before the tournament can be excellent news for teams with a traditional fragility inspired by the weight of expectation. Spain have disappointed so many times, in so many tournaments that this time round it seemed that no one could even be bothered to dust off the traditional wisdom; I don't think I saw a single article in a newspaper or tv guide that referenced the legendary Spanish cocktail of supreme talent and utter failure. What degree of the excellent Spanish performance today was inspired by a very young team full of quick, technical players, and what was enabled by the lack of haunting expectation is impossible to gauge. Still, they looked fast, skillful and more potent than any other side I've seen in this first round of matches.

It was definitely worth running the gauntlet of sitting in the canteen at work after lunch for 2 hours with my laptop, waiting for someone to question whether it's actually legitimate to make the sofa in front of the tv my office...

Tunisia - Saudi Arabia 2-2

Due to my exploits braving the Spain game in full view, I decided to skip this one until 10 minutes from the end. Couple of decent finishes, again (seems to be a trend with the games I'm forced by employment to miss).

Germany - Poland 1-0

Even with the inclusion of Ballack in the starting line up, Germany failed to recapture the energy of their game against Costa Rica. They looked devoid of ideas, and neither Klose or Podolski did much to suggest that they would be capable of propelling this team much further. Though it pains me to say it, I don't think England would have much to fear from Germany if they met in the next phase, even with the home advantage (how much advantage this can be when your strikers are only capable of hitting the ball with their shoulder blades is a question I might attempt to answer in this blog sometime). The introduction of Odonkor injected some much needed pace, and it's easy to see why despite his lack of experience he was included in a largely old and one-paced squad. However, premature though it might be, I'm going to sound the German death knell right here, right now. The Poles were occasionally interesting to watch, but ultimately failed to do anything like enough to deserve to win the game, and will be rightly packing their bags in anticipation of a woefully earned exit.

Day the fifth

South Korea - Togo 2-1

Second unseen game of the tournament. Three excellent finishes, and a continuation of my reflex dislike of the South Koreans after their suspicious success at the last World Cup.

France - Switzerland 0-0

Absolutely dire. The first unremittingly disappointing game of the tournament. France look if anything even more wheezing and toothless than they did two years ago. Zidane must surely be regretting his decision to come out of retirement only to see the French team exhibit all the same deficiencies of team selection and direction as they did during Euro 2004. I can't really be bothered to reheat old debates about Henry's form when playing for France... you're right, he does look shit when he plays for them, possibly because this team isn't built around him and because the strutting geriatrics in the French midfield find it impossible to keep pace with him and offer support in the penalty area. If only the Swiss had put in one of their three excellent chances. Fuckers.

Brazil - Croatia 1-0

A disappointing performance. Brazil need to lose one of Ronaldo or Adriano and put Juninho in the midfield. This would release Kaka to play higher up the field, enabling him to make runs for Ronaldinho, who is currently stuck look for a pass as Ronaldo stomps around refusing to work up a non-blubber related sweat. Ze Roberto is a wasted player too, and has been an inexplicable presence in the Brazil team for some years, neither providing much attacking threat, or defensive cover. I hope they'll improve, as Ronaldinho certainly deserved better than the support he got in this game.

Day the fourth

Australia - Japan 3-1

First missed game of the tournament. I had the Japanese down to win this one as I rate Nakamura and Nakata and thought they'd play their way around the apparently more brutish Australians. From the sound of it on the radio, Australia battered them from more or less beginning to end and deserved the late flourish encapsulated by Cahill's second goal.

Czech Republic - USA 3-0

The Czechs were easily my team of Euro 2004, and against an effortful but edge-lacking USA they managed to give the impression that there weren't an extra 2 years of wear on the already aged legs of Nedved et all. I've admired Rosicky ever since seeing him score in the Champions League for Prague in 2000, where he beat half the Arsenal team cutting in from the left, so it was a pleasure to see him dominating this game. For some reason the Czechs have been blessed with a generation of players who know how to score from distance, and they will certainly need Nedved and Rosicky to weigh in with goals, as with Koller and Baros injured, their striking options look limited.

I sort of envy the Czech fans, even though I don't think they have enough in their squad to win the tournament. Their team plays a truly impressive kind of football, intricate but powerful, with the entire team contributing to the building of attacks. In contrast to the frequently disjointed approach of the England team, they seem to be playing a different game - fluid and potent where England are static and predictable. They combine the athleticism and strength that English commentators seem to incomprehensibly relish, with nimble technique, both in striking and distributing the ball. Their match against Italy should be an interesting contrast of styles, and I hope the Czechs manage to score a couple to force the Italians to come out and play.

Italy - Ghana 2-0

Almost a clone of the Argentina Ivory coast game, though both participants seemed marginally inferior to the vintage of Saturday night. Essien and Appiah were excellent, but once again, the lack of a striker the equal of the chances being provided by a smart midfield put a limit on the ambitions of the underdog team. The Italians defended as well as cliche would dictate, and in Toni look like they might have a striker who wont disappoint quite as horrendously as Italian strikers have in tournaments past. I don't envy the Italian fans though...

Day the third

Holland - Serbia & Montenegro 1-0

The first of two ultimately disappointing 1-0 wins today. The Dutch were helped enormously by a static S&M midfield in the first half, only galvanised into action by the introduction of Koroman just before half time. Robben's goal was an excellent finish, but couldn't entirely disguise the fact that neither of the nominally central strikers the Dutch tried, Van Nistelrooy or Kuyt, presented much threat. Every tournament the ghost of total football is summoned back from the graveyard of lo-fi 70s tv clips, but this Dutch team suggested none of the elegance and flexibility of that team - Van Persie was wasted playing wide on the right, he seems easily the most natural replacement the Dutch have for Bergkamp, but as free as he was to switch wings with Robben, he would do more damage linking play between midfield and attack.

Mexico - Iran 3-1

Before the start of this match I was speculating with a friend over whether it would be unexpectedly entertaining - every world cup throws up a couple of games that sound crap on the schedule but transcend preconceptions and prove to be highly enjoyable. Mexico were very well drilled, and scored an excellent goal from a set piece. They had plenty of pace, and in Zinha, a player introduced at half time to complement the excellent Marquez further up the field, they had real ingenuity and vision. That's not to say that I expect the Mexicans to be competing much beyond the first knockout stage, but they will give whoever the play a hard game, and certainly wont roll over and die. Iran showed moments of vision and flair, but as with so many teams of players plying their trade in the lesser European divisions, it's the lack of a real finisher that prevents them from fully competing.

Portugal - Angola 1-0

There was to be no repeat of the Sweden - T&T shennanigans, well except in that it was a game largely devoid of interesting moments.

Day the second

England - Paraguay 1-0

England didn't exactly look 13% fitter than they had in Japan four years ago - a typical performance. Plenty of early hustle and a set-piece goal, followed by a gradual collapse of intent and the conceding of possession at every opportunity. It would be tempting to ascribe this to confidence on England's part (justified in this case) that a weaker team like Paraguay would be unable to translate that possession into chances, but the culture of defending deeply and inviting pressure is far more entrenched than that. For all Crouch's novelty value in attack, he is nowhere near good enough to hold up the ball regularly while the England midfield races 20 yards to catch up with him. Whether the problem is managerial, or just down to the lack of imagination on the part of the players (what's that Steven? you want to play another 30 yard pass in the hope that Michael will triumph over his dodgy hamstrings and sprint off the last defender?) is hard to discern. The cynic in me suggests that the players probably have the manager they deserve.

Still, at least the lack of swerve when Lampard attempted a few pot-shots might go some way towards reassuring commentators that the ball is not going to defy the laws of physics every time it is struck in anger.

Trinidad & Tobago - Sweden 0-0

Really. How much romance is there in securing a draw?

None.

Argentina - Ivory Coast 2-1

The second properly enjoyable game of the tournament. Sad not to see Messi fit enough to play in this game, as he'd definitely add an element of non-Riquelme related threat to the Argentinian team. Both scored, but I don't rate Crespo and Saviola as an especially potent front line, though the squad does have a number of striking options, notably Tevez. Incredibly well drilled defensively, with Burdisso an impressive figure throughout, both winning tackles, and bustling out the Ivorian runners when they attempted to get down his wing. A solid defense is the most cliched foundation to a winning team, and a slight lack of inspiration up front didn't do France any harm 8 years ago.

Ivory Coast are possibly the most accomplished African side I've seen. Kalou looked under the pace of the game in the first half, and I was happy to see him replaced. Dindane wasn't a whole lot better, but Aruna Kone looked a more potent attacking companion for Drogba, with slightly more skill and pace than either of those. I full expect to see Zokora and Toure playing for second tier Premiership teams next season. It was also a pleasure to hear ITV's commentary team avoiding any reference to historically naive defending...

Day the first

Germany - Costa Rica 4-2

No Ballack and against a Costa Rica seemingly intent on backing off German attackers all the way to the touchline, there isn't really all that much to be learned about the direction of the tournament from this game. Great goals though. Every generation of German players seems to have at least a couple of people competing for ownership of the heirloom nickname 'Der Hammer'. Predictably though, Frings goal was attributed more to the new ball than to his technique. His goal and Lahm's went some way to easing fears that the nightmare of the first weeks of the previous two World Cups would be repeated, with players struggling to cope with the weight of the new ball, and putting every shot from outside the penalty area high into the jeering stands. Lots to enjoy.

Ecuador - Poland 2-0

Big Southampton interest here, with players past and present sprinkled between the two teams. Delgado got a goal (I never thought he was as bad as other Saints fans demanded he must be - devotion to the badge has never been a prerequisite of talent for me) though it's hard to be inspired by two teams doomed to be also-rans long before kick off. Poland don't look like a team that did a passable impression of a goal machine during qualification. In fact, their final ball was frequently surpassingly ugly. Misplaced crosses and through-balls go to offensive lengths to ruin the aesthetic of a game - highly frustrating, but still not enough to stop me consuming as much football as possible.

it was the night before Christmas...

Well, not quite Christmas, but close enough. I enjoyed contributing to the Euro 2004 blog a while back with Mark et al, and so I think I'm going to attempt one of my own for the World Cup. I'll try and post daily, but we'll see how that goes. Now I'm off to bed in the hope that I'll hear Ronaldinho landing on my roof laden with goals...