Group B

England

England is coming to Germany with a squad dubbed as the most talented assembled bunch of players in recent times. Each player wearing the England jersey on the pitch is among the best in the world in their respective position. If England are to win the World Cup again after 40 years, this is the squad to do it. The only problem is, can the players lift up their performance and fulfill the promise everyone sees in the team?

When Rooney crumble down after the tackle from Ferreira at the Bridge, everyone believes England chance to be a real contender for the WC crumble with him. Rooney is indeed a special player and it would be a task to replace him but I do believe England still have a lot of players who can step up and propel England further into the competition. England midfield is considered as the best in the world with the likes of Beckham, Cole, Gerrard and Lampard operating the team’s engine. Gerrard performance had been spectacular especially in big games and can be exemplify in last season CL’s final and this season FA cup final while Lampard is the top scorer for Chelsea in winning their 2nr consecutive EPL crown. The only concern is if he can actually transfer his club performance into international games. Hopefully with his experience playing in the CL would help his confidence. He might be the star player for England this WC. The partnership of Terry and Ferdinand in the centre of defence looks solid with Neville and Cole on the right and left of the defence who can also provides the attackers with their crosses. Without Rooney unfit, Crouch is the front runner to partner Owen, who is still regaining his fitness after the same injury Rooney is suffering now. His height would be a plus point in set pieces but at the same time he does have a good touch for such a tall man.

England does look like a solid team on all areas but the most important factor is if the players can step up and prove that they can actually be a world class team. Sven would definitely love to win the WC as his last assignment with England and that would help him to get more coaching offers when he becomes available after the WC.

Main Man: I would love to say Beckham but I don’t think he is the player he was once before. I would love to say Rooney but as of now, he would likely be a spectator in this WC edition. For me personally, I think Gerrard would be England’s main force this time around. As I have mentioned before, he definitely showed he is a man for big games. A future England captain, his relentless work rate in the middle of the field and the ability to read the game would take England through before Rooney is fit enough to take part.

Player to Watch: He was bought from Southampton by Arsenal and didn’t even play in the EPL yet so his inclusion into the England squad was a surprise to everyone. Theo Walcott is only 18 but everyone is raving about him. I can’t say much about him because I have never seen him play before and to be honest, I doubt anyone else have to. He might be use late in the game when the other team is tired and his pace would definitely trouble the defence.


Paraguay

This is Paraguay 3rd straight appearance in the WC and definitely establishes them as South American football powerhouse with Brazil and Argentina. They qualified 4th behind Ecuador but with the same amount of points, they were struggling in the early stages of their qualifying round. They picked up their rhythm later and manage to secure the last qualification place with a game in hand and even losing the last home game against Colombia did not deny their place.

With a defence packed with experience players such as Caniza, Caceres and Gamarra would be a tough assignment for the opponents attacking players to crack down but the only worry is with age not on their side; a fast attack would probably catch them off guard. In midfield, Acuna and Paredes will definitely be the link to change from defence to attack while Dos Santos and Barreto will be creating havoc and opportunities for the forwards. Santa Cruz has showed to Germans his instinct for goals when playing for Bayern Munich while Cardoza might be an old hand but he is the top scorer for Paraguay in the qualifying round. If Santa Cruz is still not fit for the WC, Nelson Valdez who is playing for Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga had already shown he is a capable player to replace the Bayern Munich ace.

Main Man: Germany 2006 would be Acuna’s 3rd appearance in the WC and his experience would definitely help the young players in the squad such as Dos Santos and Barreto. This should be his last WC so he would want to lead his team past the last 16 after 2 WC failing to do it.

Player to Watch: Dos Santos is considered as the best young player in Paraguay and he has made his marked in Germany already. He is Santa Cruz teammate at Bayern Munich and he is usually given a free role in the middle of the field by the coach to use his creativity to carve an opening for the front two.


Trinidad & Tobago

T&T is one of the countries that will be making its debut in this WC edition and also the smallest among the 32 teams. The Socca Warriors, as they are known, qualified after beating Bahrain in a play-off. Being grouped with England would be a blessing in disguise for T&T as most of the players are plying their trade in the English league.

It would be an achievement for T&T if they can even win one game at this edition. There is not much quality in the team as most players are playing in the lower leagues in England. Their biggest star is obviously Captain Yorke, who played for Aston Villa before helping Manchester United to that famous treble in 1999. Now playing in the Australian League with Sydney FC, he is still a major threat. Latapy is one of the oldest player at 38 had come out of retirement to help the team would be the supplier from midfield with Birchall. T&T defence is not highly rated with their lack of pace but with a 201cm tall Lawrence in the centre, it would be hard to get a cross over him and he would definitely be a threat in set pieces at the other end of the penalty box.

Main Man: Dwight Yorke is the most successful player from T&T and had made an impact in the EPL with the Villains and United. He might not be as fast as he was before but he’s experience and his deadly finishing is still a threat. He would be the major key to T&T performance in the WC

Player to Watch: Christopher Birchall was born and raised in England but have the right to play for T&T because of his grandparents. He is the creative spark in the team and he would want to perform well in the WC to earn a transfer to an EPL club. He is currently playing for Port Vale.

Sweden

For a 2nd consecutive time, Sweden is being drawn together with Sweden but they are not complaining. Sweden has a good record against England…the English have not won against the Swedish in 11 meetings since 1968. The game in Korea/Japan 2002 ended in a draw but both team got through to the last 16.

Sweden is blessed with a strong line of attacking players. Henrik Larsson was impressive coming from the bench for Barcelona in the CL final when he created both goals for them. Partnering Larsson up front is Ibrahimovic who is an imposing figure at 192cm. For a tall man, he is fast and use his height well in set pieces as he proves with his team Juventus (hmm... would Juventus be relegated to Serie B for that bribery allegations?). He scored 8 goals in 8 qualifying games for Sweden and that is a goal a game ratio. Ljungberg fitness had limited his first team action early in the season with Arsenal but he played a significant role in helping Arsenal to the CL’s final and also securing the 4th spot in the EPL. Team captain Mellberg give that reliability and assurance at the back with his partner in the centre of defence Lucic who would be playing in his 3rd WC.

Main Man: No doubt it is the veteran Larsson. He is a smart player with a deadly finishing but at the same can create an opening for others to score. He has been a very important in Sweden football for a decade and he has been voted as “the greatest player in Swedish football”.

Player to Watch: With a goal a game ratio, Ibrahimovic would be a tough customer for any defenders. He uses his strength to dominate the ball and for a big man he is quite fast. He is always lurking for that special pass from Larsson or Ljungberg to score. His height means he would be a handful in set pieces situation.

Prediction

I think the other three team managers in this group were actually giving a huge sigh of relief when Rooney is deemed not fit for the group stages. One less headache for them and they can actually concentrate on beating England rather than stopping Rooney. But I still think England still have a lot of quality in dept and claim the top spot. Assuming Germany would top Group A, England wouldn’t want to finish as group runner-up because it would set up a meeting in the last 16 against the host nation. Sweden is England major threat in this group and would likely accompany England to the last 16. Paraguay would be the dark horse in this group but with Santa Cruz still recovering and has not been playing regularly, it does not look good for Paraguay. Trinidad should be the points giver in this group and we just hope Yorkie will keep on smiling when they have to pack their bags after their last game on the 20th June against Paraguay.