Every four years it’s the same thing. Everyone wants to predict the winner, everyone calls the shots so they can further say “See?! I told you so”. The Fourth Official is no exception, and most of all, is bound to be right (as usual). Jokes aside (what joke?), everyone likes lists for their easy-on-eye format, their pictures and their secretive aspect. Ally them with the best sporting event around and you’ve got Top 10s spilling all over the internet. With four days left to the opening game, the Fouth Official offers you two ultimate top fives per day to enumerate just about everything that can possibly happen in this tournament.
First up, the goalkeepers, the same ones everyone turns too with a plaintiff look once the ball crosses the line, ready to bark out yet another blasphemy. Heroes of modern times, ultimate lone rangers of the green rectangles.
1. Hugo Lloris
Anyone who remotely watched the Uefa Champion’s League must have noticed Hugo: confident in the air, XXL on his line, perfect left foot, vision, small mouth and skin just as pale as the posts he stands within. His ascension started just less than a year ago, when, whilst playing with France, he got expelled against Serbia for a doubtful penalty-kick-foul. Since then, the 23 year old has been impeccable, bringing Lyon to the UCL semi-finals, France to the World Cup (his hands are just as important as Henry’s in France’s qualification) and giving Mandanda some self-esteem issues. Lucky for us, France’s defence is more than flimsy these times, promising us some more improbable high class saves and other impeccable interventions. A future great.
Anyone who remotely watched the Uefa Champion’s League must have noticed Hugo: confident in the air, XXL on his line, perfect left foot, vision, small mouth and skin just as pale as the posts he stands within. His ascension started just less than a year ago, when, whilst playing with France, he got expelled against Serbia for a doubtful penalty-kick-foul. Since then, the 23 year old has been impeccable, bringing Lyon to the UCL semi-finals, France to the World Cup (his hands are just as important as Henry’s in France’s qualification) and giving Mandanda some self-esteem issues. Lucky for us, France’s defence is more than flimsy these times, promising us some more improbable high class saves and other impeccable interventions. A future great.
2.Julio Cesar
Yes, my Inter fan situation makes me biased, but the Julius Caesar was the only one to offer Messi any kind of resistance (here), and you don’t need to ask Almunia to understand exactly how difficult that can be. So, Julio Cesar has the newly added status “No.1 goalkeeper”. Needless to say his presence in the goal will reassure more than one viewer against the likes of Ronaldo (the new one) and Drogba (more on that later) in this year’s Group of Death.
Yes, my Inter fan situation makes me biased, but the Julius Caesar was the only one to offer Messi any kind of resistance (here), and you don’t need to ask Almunia to understand exactly how difficult that can be. So, Julio Cesar has the newly added status “No.1 goalkeeper”. Needless to say his presence in the goal will reassure more than one viewer against the likes of Ronaldo (the new one) and Drogba (more on that later) in this year’s Group of Death.
3.Iker Casillas
For those of you who forget, Casillas won a Champion’s League when he was 19, behind Redondo and Salgado. By 21, when he won his second, San Iker was already established within the Galacticos 1.0 (aka Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo (the real one), etc…) Obviously, the now 29 year old Madrilene goalkeeper knows how to prepare himself for the big occasions, as he showed us at the Euro 2008. Although his work is heavily facilitated by a top-of-the-line Spanish defence, it is no secret Iker is the most likely to be the best of his kind in this World Cup and not just because his team is too.
For those of you who forget, Casillas won a Champion’s League when he was 19, behind Redondo and Salgado. By 21, when he won his second, San Iker was already established within the Galacticos 1.0 (aka Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo (the real one), etc…) Obviously, the now 29 year old Madrilene goalkeeper knows how to prepare himself for the big occasions, as he showed us at the Euro 2008. Although his work is heavily facilitated by a top-of-the-line Spanish defence, it is no secret Iker is the most likely to be the best of his kind in this World Cup and not just because his team is too.
4.Gianluigi Buffon
The fallen king returns. Once the insuperable obstacle of the valiant 2006 Italy squad, “Gigi” has gone through a series of rough episodes, from injuries to disappointing season. Yet my hopes are still up for Buffon to help a struggling Squadra Azzura to obtain a suitable result as defending champions. Plus who doesn’t want to see that beautiful multicolour Puma jersey save impossible shots until July?
The fallen king returns. Once the insuperable obstacle of the valiant 2006 Italy squad, “Gigi” has gone through a series of rough episodes, from injuries to disappointing season. Yet my hopes are still up for Buffon to help a struggling Squadra Azzura to obtain a suitable result as defending champions. Plus who doesn’t want to see that beautiful multicolour Puma jersey save impossible shots until July?
5. Fawzi Chaouchi
The first player to fill our very own African quota within these Top Fives is the Algerian goakeeper Chaouchi. Explosive on his line, flashy and (overly) confident, Fawzi is capable of the very best saves, always spiced by his unconventional style as well as the most despicable (and comical) mistakes, just like we like them. He will doubtlessly use the World Cup to do something like this again.
The first player to fill our very own African quota within these Top Fives is the Algerian goakeeper Chaouchi. Explosive on his line, flashy and (overly) confident, Fawzi is capable of the very best saves, always spiced by his unconventional style as well as the most despicable (and comical) mistakes, just like we like them. He will doubtlessly use the World Cup to do something like this again.
Our second Top five of the day concerns the group stages games that are likely to be epic, just to get us even more excited, even though we won’t remember them as much as the second round games. In any case, take your calendars out along with the indelible red Sharpie we all have in the deep ends of our drawers and note these down.
1.Portugal-Brazil, 06/25, 10:00am
The World Cup always offers us some good old fashion colonial derbies like we Europeans like them. It used to be the tradition that Brazil was clear favourites and usually the winners. This year though, things might turn out differently as Brazil finds itself (more than ever?) contested and conformed to the European style. Furthermore, the Portuguese hold within their ranks an asset of immesurable value: the flashy and over-muscular Cristiano Ronaldo, mister Plus. Add to that the other five-star names that appear on both teams’ line up (Kaka, Lucio, Robinho, Deco, Simao, Carvalho) and you’ve got everyone drooling.
The World Cup always offers us some good old fashion colonial derbies like we Europeans like them. It used to be the tradition that Brazil was clear favourites and usually the winners. This year though, things might turn out differently as Brazil finds itself (more than ever?) contested and conformed to the European style. Furthermore, the Portuguese hold within their ranks an asset of immesurable value: the flashy and over-muscular Cristiano Ronaldo, mister Plus. Add to that the other five-star names that appear on both teams’ line up (Kaka, Lucio, Robinho, Deco, Simao, Carvalho) and you’ve got everyone drooling.
2.England-USA, 06/12, 2:30pm
Once again, History makes this first round match up more than interesting. With only one win from an obscure match-up over dating fifty years ago, the Americans will be more than willing to show its former illegitimate queen how independence and democracy still rock. A duel full of muscles and kick-and-rushes, where England undeniably outshines their rivals on paper, this might just be the occasion for Americans to finally get involved with soccer on a large scale.
Once again, History makes this first round match up more than interesting. With only one win from an obscure match-up over dating fifty years ago, the Americans will be more than willing to show its former illegitimate queen how independence and democracy still rock. A duel full of muscles and kick-and-rushes, where England undeniably outshines their rivals on paper, this might just be the occasion for Americans to finally get involved with soccer on a large scale.
3. Brazil-Ivory Coast, 06/20, 2:30 pm
4. Ivory Coast-Portugal, 06/15, 10:00am
We’ve all heard it, we all know it, this year’s World Cup is in South Africa, a real chance for African soccer to come out of its basket and finally overturn blalblabla, undoubtedly so. Unfortunately, the custom is for “African” frenzies to be inconsequential post-Cup-wise. Cameroon in 90, Nigeria in 94 and Senegal in 2002, none seem to have confirmed and establish themselves within the soccer world. There is, on the other hand, (finally) hope to see that change. 2006 introduced us to two newer African powers, Ivory Coast and Ghana, with their star players Drogba and Essien as leaders. Fresh out of a more European styled development and mentality (the Toure brothers, Eboue, the Kalous, Drogba), the new Ivorian players seemed destined for greatness. Unluckily placed in the “Group of Death” in 2006 and 2010, Ivory Coast sees itself faced with the biggest challenge yet: making a mark and making themselves feared by the whole planet. Beating Brazil giants and Portuguese dancers would accomplish that mission more than greatly. That’s all the harm we wish them.
4. Ivory Coast-Portugal, 06/15, 10:00am
We’ve all heard it, we all know it, this year’s World Cup is in South Africa, a real chance for African soccer to come out of its basket and finally overturn blalblabla, undoubtedly so. Unfortunately, the custom is for “African” frenzies to be inconsequential post-Cup-wise. Cameroon in 90, Nigeria in 94 and Senegal in 2002, none seem to have confirmed and establish themselves within the soccer world. There is, on the other hand, (finally) hope to see that change. 2006 introduced us to two newer African powers, Ivory Coast and Ghana, with their star players Drogba and Essien as leaders. Fresh out of a more European styled development and mentality (the Toure brothers, Eboue, the Kalous, Drogba), the new Ivorian players seemed destined for greatness. Unluckily placed in the “Group of Death” in 2006 and 2010, Ivory Coast sees itself faced with the biggest challenge yet: making a mark and making themselves feared by the whole planet. Beating Brazil giants and Portuguese dancers would accomplish that mission more than greatly. That’s all the harm we wish them.
5.Germany-Serbia, 18/06, 07h30
It’s not often we get such European flavour to first round games. So the FIFA officials decided this time to do it the right way: full of testosterone and (once again my friends) underlined political/historical context. The raging Serbs, first Wolrd Cup as a nation of their own, will want to defeat the Germans with all their might to prove the world that they did not deserve their severe 6-0 defeat against Argentina four years ago, whilst the Germans will want to keep the hierarchy respected. Take your shinguards out, this is going to hurt.
It’s not often we get such European flavour to first round games. So the FIFA officials decided this time to do it the right way: full of testosterone and (once again my friends) underlined political/historical context. The raging Serbs, first Wolrd Cup as a nation of their own, will want to defeat the Germans with all their might to prove the world that they did not deserve their severe 6-0 defeat against Argentina four years ago, whilst the Germans will want to keep the hierarchy respected. Take your shinguards out, this is going to hurt.
TFO
1 comment:
sickkkk, im excited for your world cup coverage
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