Group B:
Argentina (7)
Greece (13)
Nigeria (21)
South Korea (47)
In terms of FIFA ranking, Group B is fourth-best with an average team rank of 22. Action begins on the second day of the World Cup for this group, with the undisputable group favorite Argentina squaring off against Nigeria, and Greece against South Korea.
Argentina boasts Lionel Messi, who is arguably the world’s best football player. And that’s about all they got going for them. Sure, he’ll have good company up front with my favorite Argentine player Carlos Tevez, but the rest of the team lacks the same spark that Messi plays with. Messi is not my favorite player, far from it, but I think he will be the only good thing Argentina will have to show for themselves at the end of the tournament. Argentina’s recent results aren’t a good example of the team’s overall ability, a 4-0 win over Haiti and a 5-0 thrashing of the Canadians. Both of these teams are mediocre to say the least, and I mean no offense. Other friendlies from this year include a 1-0 win over Germany, a 2-1 win over Jamaica, and a 3-2 win over Costa Rica. Granted, these were all wins, but the win over Germany is the only win you would think they had to work for. Two close wins against two CONCACAF teams that didn’t make it to the World Cup don’t say much for Argentina.
Greece make their second World Cup appearance, having narrowly defeated Ukraine in the UEFA play-offs. Their first appearance was in 1994. The Greeks’ primary weapon is the 30-year-old Theofanis Gekas who was the top scorer in the UEFA qualifiers with 10 goals. A secondary weapon is the height of its players. Greece has not announced its official 23-man squad, but of the 30 players seeking a spot on the roster, 21 players are at least 6 feet tall. Goalkeeper Konstantinos Chalkias is 6’6’’. This time around, Greece has a good mix of new and veteran players. For their first appearance, the then coach Alketas Panagoulias opted to use players that had gotten Greece to the World Cup, though most of them were older and out-of-form. Greece finished the 1994 World Cup with three losses, zero goals scored and eleven against. But in recent history, the Greek national squad has given their country something to hope for, after winning the Euro 2004, defeating hosts Portugal in the final match.
Nigeria is the third-highest ranked African team at the moment, behind Egypt and Cameroon. Egypt failed to qualify for the World Cup, and Cameroon was drawn into a slightly less-favorable group with Denmark, Japan and the Netherlands. Nigeria’s real competition in the group is Greece, although I believe Nigeria has the best chance to upset Argentina. John Obi Mikel has been given the go-ahead by his doctors after recovering from a knee-surgery, and I think Mikel’s presence in the midfield is Nigeria’s key to success in the tournament. Other key players for Nigeria include Obafemi Martins, who has played for teams such as Inter and Newcastle. Kalu Uche could also make a name for himself, being able to play both as a striker and attacking-midfielder. Joseph Yobo, center back for Everton since 2003 would anchor the defense.
Last, and probably least, is South Korea. South Korea has had a few positive recent results, notably three straight 2-0 wins against the Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Japan. But just last weekend, South Korea suffered a 1-0 loss to Belarus, demonstrating the inconsistency of the squad. South Korea is also yet to announce its final roster, but the biggest name in their 30-man squad is that of Manchester United’s Park Ji-Sung. I feel South Korea will finish last place in their group, their only point if any coming from a draw with Greece.
Game predictions:
Argentina 2, Nigeria 1
Greece 1, South Korea 0
Argentina 2, South Korea 0
Greece 1, Nigeria 2
Nigeria 3, South Korea 2
Greece 1, Argentina 3
Argentina ..... 9 Pts .... +5
Nigeria ....... 6 Pts .... +1
Greece ........ 3 Pts .... -2
South Korea ... 0 Pts .... -4
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